Recipe: December is peak season for this unusual fruit
Fuyu persimmons -- those flat, fat cousins to pointy Hachiyas -- are easy to love.
Crisp and crunchy or soft as custard, Fuyus can be eaten right off the tree or weeks later. Think of them as bright orange-fleshed apples, but with a very different flavor.
Ideally suited to Sacramento's climate, Fuyus grow on an attractive small tree -- a member of the ebony family -- with colorful red and orange fall foliage. The shiny orange fruit are pretty as well as delicious. That makes Fuyu a good choice for edible landscaping.
Fuyu persimmons are a much more versatile fruit than Hachiyas, which can be eaten only when their tannin-packed pulp turns to jelly. (That neutralizes their pucker power.)
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Garden Checklist for week of May 5
Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:
* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.
* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.
* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.
* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.
* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.
* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.
* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.
* Plant onion sets.
* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.
* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.
* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.
* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.