Sacramento Digs Gardening: Persimmons add flavor to fruity fall scones

I treasure every persimmon my Fuyu tree produces – that the squirrels don’t get to first. Those little bandits steal most of my crop.

But this scone recipe takes only one large Fuyu, the variety that looks like a squat orange tomato. The squirrels can’t eat them all!

Scone dough disk divided — The dough is patted into a circle, then divided.

By people, Fuyus can be eaten while still crunchy. The softer they get, the mellower and sweeter their flavor.

In these buttery scones, the persimmons add just enough sweetness and fruity texture to make them a special fall treat. (And the squirrels aren’t getting a bite!)

Persimmon-raisin scones

Makes 8 scones

Ingredients:

1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour

¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

4 tablespoons (½ stick) cold salted butter

½ cup Fuyu persimmon (about 1 large), peeled and chopped

¼ cup raisins

1 egg, beaten

¼ cup plus 1 tablespoon cream, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a large bowl, whisk together flour, ¼ cup sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Baked scones — Allow scones to cool on the baking sheet.

Grate cold butter and add to flour mixture. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles sand. Stir in chopped persimmon and raisins.

In a cup, mix together beaten egg, ¼ cup cream and vanilla. Stir into flour mixture. It will make a sticky dough.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. With floured hands, knead gently as if working biscuits, about six or seven times.

Pat dough into a circle 1-inch thick. With a floured knife, cut dough into wedges.

Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the wedges on the prepared baking sheet and refrigerate the unbaked scones for 20 to 30 minutes.

As the scones chill, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Remove scones from refrigerator. Brush the tops with remaining cream. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake the scones for 15 to 17 minutes at 400 degrees or until edges and bottoms are golden brown.

Remove from oven and let cool on the baking sheet.

Serve warm with or without butter and jam.

RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

recipe recipes baking persimmons Fuyu fall autumn November farm to fork backyard produce produce management scones breakfast Sacramento gardening

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Flowers in My Back Yard Series

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Garden checklist for week of April 19

After this midweek storm, start getting serious about spring gardening. Flowers are blooming about three weeks ahead of schedule. That includes weeds!

* Get ready to swing into action in the vegetable garden – if you haven’t already. As nights warm up over 50 degrees, set out tomato, pepper and eggplant transplants.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, radishes and squash; wait on pumpkins until May. 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. Late April is about the last chance to plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Transplant lettuce and cabbage seedlings.

* April is the last chance to plant citrus trees such as dwarf orange, lemon and kumquat. These trees also look good in landscaping and provide fresh fruit in winter.

* Smell orange blossoms? Give citrus trees a low dose of balanced fertilizer (such as 10-10-10) during bloom to help set fruit. Keep an eye out for ants. If leaves look yellow, your tree may need an iron boost -- apply some chelated iron fertilizer.

* Apply slow-release fertilizer to the lawn.

* Thoroughly clean debris from the bottom of outdoor ponds or fountains.

* Spring brings a flush of rapid growth, and that means your garden needs nutrition. Give shrubs and trees a slow-release fertilizer. Mulch with a 1-inch layer of compost, which helps the soil, but keep it a few inches away from trunks and stems.

* Azaleas and camellias looking a little yellow? If leaves are turning yellow between the veins, give them a boost with chelated iron.

* 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.

Send us a gardening question, a post suggestion or information about an upcoming event. sacdigsgardening@gmail.com

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