This weekend, the Colfax Persimmon Festival was held and the weather was perfect; sunny and cold, just the way persimmons like it. The festival was started in 2008 by Gene Stafford and is held on part of the land that comprised the Stafford family farm. The Revolutionary War-era farm is the perfect setting for the event which pays tribute to a simpler way of life. While there are a few games, some people dressed in period costumes, and military reenactors, people really came to enjoy the persimmons.
Persimmons are an orange, edible fruit that tastes good in baked goods, especially persimmon bread and persimmon pudding. The native variety of persimmon has lots of seeds and is very labor intensive to extract the pulp. Pulp was available for purchase at the festival. The larger, Asian non-astringent variety is easier to eat and to use. However, nothing beats an old-timey 'simmon puddin' to go with Thanksgiving dinner. People came from great distances to celebrate persimmons this past Saturday. If you missed the event, mark your calendars for Saturday, November 7th 2015.
I ate my first natural persimmon this fall. I had always heard they were only edible if very ripe so I let it ripen a few days before biting in. It is one of the sweetest fruits I have ever tasted. No wonder those puddings were so favored.
Posted by: Jane T. Mitchell | Monday, November 17, 2014 at 09:08 AM
I've not heard of persimmon, as far as I know... I guess they don't grow anywhere near here.
Posted by: William Kendall | Monday, November 17, 2014 at 05:30 PM