Diospyros Virginiana Bless You! November 9, 2014

My husband has all but cured his seasonal allergies by making  Persimmon tea from the leaves of the wild trees on our farm.  We harvest the them  in the summer before the fruits set and the Vit C and antihistamine properties are at their highest, dry them in the shade of tree itself and drink the tea late summer and fall during our normal sneeze season to reap the benefits.

We saw 16 degrees last week in the bottom lands and have had fairly consistent light frosts since then in the wee hours.  This is good weather for picking the persimmon berries as they are just perfect after a few frosts and awfully butt puckering before that – so be warned.  I always say they are ripe when they are mush on the tree or have splattered on the ground. Luckily, we continue to ingest the goodness from this tree by pulping the berries and freezing it for future use in breads and puddings, using them as you would when baking with ripe bananas.  I love the pulp raw, slathered on rice cakes or mixed into oatmeal and as well, make breads and puddings – see recipe below.

The seeds themselves are so called fortune tellers of  winter coming.  Split one open and you may find a fork, spoon or a knife representing just how much snow you need to shovel or ice to cut through.  This year I got mainly sporks but here are some examples of proper utensils.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

VEGAN PERSIMMON BREAD

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups persimmon pulp
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp chia soaked in 2.5 Tbsp water
• 3 Tbsp melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup sweetener of choice (we are bee keepers and  I use honey which is not considered vegan-  brown rice syrup or coconut sugar are good too)
• 3.5 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4 cup almond
• 1 1/4 cup almond meal
• 1 1/4 cup gluten free flour blend
• 1 1/4 cup gluten free oats

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease up a loaf pan
2. Add all ingredients through almond milk and whisk vigorously to combine. Then add almond meal, flour and oats and stir.
3. Bake for 1 hour – 1 hour 15 minutes. When ready, it should feel firm and be crackly and golden brown on top.
4. Let cool completely before cutting or it will be too tender to hold form.
5. Eat it up Yum!