Folks who would like a taste of some wild food ought to get out and hunt persimmons this time of year. They are abundant in our area and easy to find in fencerows and woodland edges.
There are many varieties of persimmon trees in tropical areas of the world, but only two in the United States. The one growing in our area is called "common persimmon" (Diospyros Virginiana), or "possum tree" by some.
Persimmon is a medium sized tree standing 30 to 50 feet tall when mature. The bark is almost black and looks like small rectangular blocks. The leaves are leathery, oval shaped, and have smooth edges. The fruit is about 1-1/2 inches across with six flat seeds in the center. When ripe in late October they are orange and wrinkled.
It is best to gather the fruit when it's soft and gooey. Old timers claim you shouldn't eat persimmons until they have gone through a few frosts. Don't let anyone talk you into eating an unripe persimmon, which are extremely astringent when green and will almost numb your mouth. The fruit can be eaten as is, or used to make pudding, jam, or nut bread. To gather the fruit in quantity, spread a sheet under a tree and shake the branches. Besides providing fruit, the dried leaves of persimmon can be used to make a tea rich in vitamin C. The wood is very hard and dense and is used to make golf club heads and billiard cues.
As mentioned, several wildlife species use persimmon as a food source, and the trees produces good crops every two years. The fruit holds onto the tree far into the winter, and is eaten by fox, raccoon, opossum, skunk and birds. The twigs are browsed by deer for emergency winter food.
There is some weather lore associated with persimmon seed involving what shape the center is when split open. The seed center contains the embryo with leaves (called a cotyledon), and if it looks like a fork it will be a mild winter; if it’s knife shaped it will be a very cold winter (cold that cuts like a knife), and if spoon shaped there will be a lot of snow (as in snow shovel).