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These tasty November treats span generations

Recipe: Old-fashion persimmon cookies like great-grandma used to make

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED NOV 4, 2018

Glazed persimmon cookies can be made with either Hachiya or Fuyu persimmons. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Persimmon season brings cookie time to our household.

For generations, my family has made these simple old-fashioned persimmon cookies every November, usually relying on Great-Grandmother's tried-and-true recipe.

Originally, these cakelike confections were made with native American persimmons, which grow wild throughout the South and Midwest. For the last century, we've baked them with milder Japanese varieties, found throughout California.

Either the pointy Hachiya or the flat Fuyu will work. The key is to wait until the persimmon is fully ripe, its pulp totally soft and mushy. When ready, the fruit feels like a sack full of jelly. It takes naturally crisp Fuyu persimmons longer to reach full mushy ripeness, but they will get there.

Can't wait? Put the persimmons in the freezer. Once it's solid, remove the fruit and let it thaw. The pulp will be completely soft.

This year, our Fuyu persimmon tree is covered with fruit, at least 80 to 100 pounds. Two persimmons produces 1 cup pulp, which is enough for a batch of four dozen cookies.

It looks like I'll be making a lot of persimmon cookies this month. Great-Grandmother would be proud.

Great-Grandmother's persimmon cookies

Two persimmons make about 1 cup pulp, enough to make
four dozen cookies.

Makes about 4 dozen

1 cup very ripe persimmon pulp
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins
3/4 cup honey
1/2 cup shortening
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Peel and mash persimmon pulp. Dissolve baking soda in pulp. Set aside. Rinse raisins with boiling water. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together honey and shortening. Beat in egg, then fold in persimmon pulp and raisins.

Sift together flour, spices, salt and baking powder. Add flour mixture to persimmon mixture. Stir until well blended.

Drop batter by teaspoons in scoops the size of a walnut onto greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden. Cookies will still have cakelike spring when done.

Bits of persimmon peek out of the baked cookies.

Cool. Glaze or ice as desired, sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve plain.

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RECIPE

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

Keywords:

recipes recipe gardening Sacramento Fuyu Hachiya cookies fall fruit tree fruit persimmons baking produce management

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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.

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