What is a persimmon? Can I grow them at home? And what does it have to do with forecasting the weather?
I remember the day I first heard anyone talk about persimmons and the weather. I was a first-year graduate student at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. One fall evening the local weather report included mention of lots of “spoons” in local persimmons– so the weatherwoman declared we should expect lots of snow in the coming winter.
I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. And as a newly transplanted Chicago-area “city” kid, I was afraid to ask my more rural classmates and reveal my ignorance.
I grew up in the suburbs, where my family grew plum, apple, and pear trees, but no one I knew grew persimmons. I had never even seen one let alone tasted one.
It wasn’t until seven years later, when I worked as an Extension Educator, that I finally tasted a persimmon . By that time I had figured out that persimmons grew on trees. They were in fact, far better than I ever imagined. The ancient Greeks called the persimmon Dios pyros, “the wheat of Zeus” or “the fruit of the Gods”. Later this became the genus name of persimmon, Diospyros. After tasting a persimmon, I know the Greeks were right!
Although persimmons are usually known for their fruit, the wood is also useful, and among the hardest of North American trees. The persimmon is in the same family as the Ebony tree. While not as hard as ebony, the older wood does take on a dark color similar to ebony. Persimmon wood is used in golf club heads, pool cues, and shuttles used for weaving cloth. Traditional Korean and Japanese furniture has used the persimmon as well.
Growing Persimmons
The persimmon grown most often in Illinois is the American Persimmon, Diospyros virginiana. The American Persimmon is native to the eastern U.S. and is often found growing wild in the landscape. When we bought our house in 2005 we considered planting an American persimmon tree but reconsidered when we learned they often reach heights of 50 to 60 feet– we didn’t have the room for it!
The native species is dioecious, literally meaning “two houses”, male trees and female trees. The female trees will bear fruit only when pollinated by the male tree. But there are some self-pollinating cultivars of American persimmon such as ‘Prok’, ‘Meader’, and ‘Yates’.
There are some dwarf persimmon cultivars available (8 to 10 feet tall), but by and large persimmons are a large tree (over 20 feet tall). This may explain why I never saw one while growing up in the Chicago suburbs with their relatively small yards compared to more rural areas. Stark Brothers Nursery in Missouri has one of the most extensive persimmon selections. They also have outstanding customer service.
Eating Persimmons
There are many other species of persimmon, native to parts of the world such as Europe and Asia. Many are not edible. Most of the persimmon cultivars grown commercially were bred from Asian species. Generally, these commercial types can be found at the grocery store in about January. Persimmon fruits are somewhat round, and yellow-orange to orange-red in color.
There are two general groups of persimmons based on their fruit. Their fruit can be categorized as astringent or non-astringent. Non-astringent persimmons are typically eaten when they are ripe but still somewhat firm, delicious as is.
Technically speaking, the astringent fruits are high in tannins. Practically speaking, eating an astringent fruit at the wrong time will leave your mouth feeling like it’s been drained of every last drop of moisture, giving new meaning to the phrase “pucker power”. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that the word persimmon comes from the Algonquian Indians, meaning “dry fruit”.
American Persimmons are in the “astringent fruits” category. They are only edible when extremely soft and ripe, after a series of light frosts. These light frosts are known as “bletting” and serve to break down the tannins, making the persimmon a delectable sweet treat.
The problem with waiting for this moment is that the local critters, such as raccoons and opossums are also waiting. If you manage to get a few for yourself, you may choose to eat them fresh, dried, canned, in jams, or various cooked recipes.
Probably the most famous way to prepare persimmons is in a cooked persimmon pudding. In some circles this dish has almost a cult following. Mitchell, Indiana even has a Persimmon Festival each fall, complete with a Persimmon Festival Queen. The central event though, is the persimmon pudding contest. Not only do the contestants have their own secret recipes, but many have their own “secret trees” that provide the key ingredient for their pudding.
Persimmons as Weather Forecasters
But what about the persimmons full of “spoons” that I had heard about in the local weather report? When the weather forecaster talked about “spoons” in her persimmons, she was talking about the seeds.
Legend says that splitting persimmon seeds open will reveal the shape of a fork, knife, or spoon on the interior. If your fruits have mostly forks, it will be a mild winter with some of light fluffy snow. Seeds containing knives predicts an extremely cold winter, with winds that seem to slice right through you.
This year every report I’ve heard says the local persimmon seeds are filled with spoons – so according to legend, we are in for lots of heavy wet snow, so get ready to shovel! Some people swear by the predictive ability of persimmon seeds. Whether or not it really works, who knows. But it’s harmless to sit around and try to make predictions, and fun too.
Regardless of whether you believe in the weather forecasting powers of persimmons, they are delicious. If you have the room to plant a tree or two, they would be a unique addition to any home orchard.
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Interesting article and background! I believe legend has it that the darker color woolly worms are, the more snow is predicted. The ones I’ve seen this year have been black.
Since this coincides with the spoons shapes in persimmons this year as well, it must be true!
Thanks Beth I probably should do a follow-up post on wooly worms– thanks for the great idea!! And thanks for reading and commenting!
My understanding of the wooly worms (aka wooly bears) is that more black means cold, more brown is mild and white is snow. Judy Frasier is the expert. She always did a wooly worm report when she was a weather lady. Camargo had a wooly worm festival which ended when she retired.
Hi Debbie! You’re spot-on with the wooly worms. There’s even more detail about the color of individual segments corresponding to weeks of winter if you want to get extra-fancy in your predictions. I’ll post about it soon. I saw Judy Frasier on the news recently, still doing her wooly worm forecast, despite retirement.