I read a short article today in this months Prevention magazine about the health benefits of persimmons which reminded me that I had recently photographed a persimmon tree and gathered some fruits in order to acquire the seed and possibly start a tree of my own in our backyard. According to Alice Vitale in the book (one of my favorites) Leaves in Myth, Magic and Medicine, the fruits are high in potassium and vitamin C. I have always been enamored with the persimmon because they are so hard to come by and taste so good. The wild variety is only palatable after it has been exposed to a frost in the fall. And shortly thereafter they all disappear into the mouths of the raccoons and any other wildlife that can get to them. The wood from the persimmon tree, which is in the ebony family, has a beautiful grain when finished. It also has the highest density of any wood in Ohio making it an excellent wood for mallets and golf clubs which is what it was used for back in the day.
1 comment:
My Dad has a place down at Lake Cumberland that has a persimmon tree on it. One time we were down there at just the right time and got to have a persimmon feast. I hadn't thought of trying to grow tree here ... there may even be a sapling down there that I could transplant.
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