I love persimmons, and I have planted three persimmon trees. The first one was eaten by deer before it could bear fruit. The second didn’t like where I planted it, and, after two years of minimal growth, quietly died. When I retired and bought a house in Santa Cruz, I decided to try again. Against my landscaper’s advice, I planted my Hachiya persimmon tree, the kind that produces squishy sweet fruit, in the center of a flower bed, between a fence and the lawn.

A Long Adolescence

This tree thrived. It doubled in height in the first two years, and, at five years, right on schedule according to my gardening book, it flowered. The sixth year it produced five persimmons, all of which were promptly eaten by birds and squirrels. The sixth year it produced ten persimmons. Five of them dropped from the tree while still green. The other five were — you guessed it — eaten by birds and squirrels.

2018 was the magic seventh year, the year that most gardening books and internet columns say that the Hachiya  will actually bear fruit. They weren’t kidding. By July, I counted fifty tiny green globes growing in the center of each flower. Many of them dropped during the next month, but a quick check on the internet and I learned that was common, and would result in larger fruit. It did. After two years of losing my tiny persimmon crop to the birds and the squirrels, I found myself with dozens of beautiful orange persimmons, all ripening at once. For two weeks I was in heaven, eating one or two of my favorite fruit a day.

The Fruit of the Gods

However, there are only so many persimmons, even if they are the fruit of the gods, that one can eat, ripe and squishy, from one’s windowsill. The week before Christmas I turned to my recipe collection. The following two recipes were my most successful endeavors. They are not my own creations, but I will use them again next year, and they will be here on the blog for you as well, should you find yourself with a plethora of persimmons next fall. Enjoy!

Persimmon Cookies

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup persimmon pulp

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the shortening and sugar. Add egg and vanilla; mix well.
3. Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into creamed sugar mixture.
4. Stir in the raisins, chopped nuts, 1/4 teaspoon salt and persimmon pulp; mix well.
5. Drop by the teaspoonful on greased or parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

James Beard’s Amazing Persimmon Bread