Saturday, October 31, 2009

Garden Journal 10/31/09: Happy Halloween!


Wild Persimmons and Autumn Color (catch more of it here)

I've never grown pumpkins (have you?), but this time of year the persimmon trees are full of tiny fruits that are the perfect shape and color—just a whole lot tinier. Unfortunately I think they taste like soap, but the sheep and donkeys—and even some of the dogs—are crazy about them and will literally stand under the trees waiting for more to fall. Best of all, the persimmons flourish year in and year out without any help from me.

© Copyright 2009 FarmgirlFare.com, the fallen fruit foodie farm blog where we may not get any trick-or-treaters since we're several miles from the nearest neighbor, but at least there are always plenty of spooky bats and spiders.

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16 Comments:

Anonymous Jennifer said...

They look beautiful. We are hoping to plant some fruit trees in a few years, sorry to hear they taste of soap.

October 31, 2009 9:31 PM  
Blogger Crunchy Christian Mom said...

They do taste like soap -- but if you add enough sugar to them, they make really yummy breakfast bread! :)

October 31, 2009 11:41 PM  
Blogger Kalyn said...

This made me realize I've never once seen persimmons growing!

November 01, 2009 8:11 AM  
Blogger Laura said...

I grew Pumpkins this year. My first try. I had at least six or seven buds turn into fruit. For some reason, all but one actually rotted on the vine. I have my pretty pumpkin that I grew sitting on my front steps. I hope to grow them again next year. :)
Happy Halloween Blessings (a little late)
~*~

November 01, 2009 10:57 AM  
Blogger Daisy said...

Oh, that's what they are! At first glance they reminded me of cherry tomatoes, but on a tree? Oh, city girl that I am...

November 01, 2009 1:21 PM  
Blogger Kelly said...

They are pretty, I guess soap flavor is a real upgrade for those four legged friends of ours, lol!

November 01, 2009 12:59 PM  
Blogger Farmer Jen said...

I grow sweet pie pumpkins each year. They are smaller and their flesh is more tender for baking or eating like you would winter squash.

I am not that fond of persimmons, but I do love my pumpkins! Great photo.

November 01, 2009 7:54 PM  
Blogger King of Green said...

Love persimmons, wish we could grow them around here, can I come and stand under your tree?

November 02, 2009 8:01 AM  
Blogger Mel said...

That is a lovely picture. No place for persimmons in my Chicago urban garden, but I thoroughly enjoyed seeing yours, and love your blog! Keep posting.

November 02, 2009 4:20 PM  
Anonymous Sarah said...

I have never seen wild persimmons. They are very pretty. We had abundant jack-o-lantern pumpkins this year. It was great fun lining up their different shapes and sizes along our rock wall. They have such personalities, even before the carving.

November 02, 2009 7:48 PM  
Blogger Janet Glaser said...

What a beautiful photograph. We grew Knucklehead pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns for our grandsons this year. These pumpkins have "warts" on them and we thought they would look spooky. While the kids liked the warts, they weren't crazy about the pumpkins for jack-o-lanterns. Next year it'll be the more traditional "punkin".

November 04, 2009 1:55 PM  
Blogger FinnyKnits said...

Well, I for one would like to see a donkey eating a persimmon. I do believe that would brighten up my whole day.

November 04, 2009 3:22 PM  
Blogger Vicki said...

I had 5 terrific Jack o'Lantern pumpkins this year. They grew as volunteers from the pumpin tossed into the garden from last year. They were easy to grow. I gave 2 away and carved the remaining 3. I'm so glad I did as they brought a great bit of joy to the littlest Trick or Treaters who came to my door!

November 05, 2009 10:44 AM  
Blogger Mara said...

My mom has a persimmon tree, but since she lives in the Dallas area, it's 50-50 whether it gets cold enough for them to really ripen, as they need a freeze. We make them into quick breads-- very yummy.

My husband and I grew pumpkins on accident last year. We had a 'decorative' pumpkin on our porch that didn't get taken care of in time... it froze, then thawed, then got blown off the porch table and into the yard, which is when I finally threw what could still be picked up onto the compost. The next year: pumpkin plants in the front yard. We actually got three pumpkins that grew from the two vines, but they rotted out for some reason before turning orange.

November 05, 2009 10:41 AM  
Anonymous Ellen said...

Huh. I've never seen wild persimmons.

I'm familiar with two kinds of persimmons: hachiya and fuyu. You can eat fuyus when they're crunchy and they taste mild and sweet, not soapy at all. The hachiya type are very astringent and they need to sit on a warm countertop until they're absolutely mushy - only then do they lose their soapy taste and become sweet.

November 09, 2009 11:21 PM  
Blogger gld said...

I grew a winter squash/pumpkin called Long Island Cheese this year. It tastes so much better than the small pie pumpkin that I won't be bothered with them again! It is an heirloom type. The only drawback is one squash will yield 5 to 7 pies! There is a smaller heirloom that I want to try next.

I now have enough stored to make 60 or 70 pies..........a bit much for two people!

November 10, 2009 6:13 AM  

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