Persimmon season is booming - literally. Our backyard Fuyu is fully loaded.
We picked about 60 pounds of fruit, many as big as heirloom tomatoes. (Here's a photo of one big cluster.) There are many more near the top of the tree, out of reach.
But not out of range for squirrels and birds. It's their annual holiday treat. The critters bite or peck into the super-ripe fruit, which falls from the tree - creating a hefty blop!
During a recent wind storm, it sounded like a water balloon fight. Knocked down by gusts, exploded persimmons littered the lawn beneath the tree. (They're now in the compost bin.)
Although I hate wasting any home-grown edible, I already have my hands and kitchen counter full of ripening persimmons. A lot of them will find their way into cookies, a holiday favorite.
I usually use my great-grandmother's recipe, which I posted online as part of The Bee's Holiday Recipe Cookbook. Search for "persimmon cookies."
Ripe persimmons also can substitute for canned pumpkin in other cookie and dessert recipes. What pulp doesn't get baked will go in the freezer for later use - when this season's persimmon "bombs" are just a memory.
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