Persimmons are another wildly abundant and wonderful edible plant just ‘ripe for the picking!’ More specifically, persimmons are a rich source of fiber, vitamins C, B, and A, minerals, flavonoids, and antioxidants. These wonderful ‘berries’ can be eaten raw, candied, dried, turned into jams and jellies, or cooked into pies, tarts, and other desserts, such as pudding. One can also use persimmon fruit pulp to make a molasses and use the leaves to make an herbal tea. The seeds can also be roasted and used as a weak coffee substitute. The fruit can be fermented with wheat bran, cornmeal, or hops to make a primitive beer or brandy. Medicinally, persimmon fruit is astringent, laxative, antitussive, and stomachic (tones the stomach, improving function and increasing appetite) and juice from the unripe fruit is said to be helpful in the treatment of hypertension.
A once common joke amongst Southerners was to convince those unfamiliar with persimmons to eat one that is unripe, as the astringent bitterness will immediately suck the moisture from their mouths, which can be quite a shock. A little known tidbit of information about the persimmon is that during the American Civil War, its seeds were used as makeshift buttons for soldier uniforms.
So remember, try and eat one wild food every day, just add it to something you are already eating! If you have ideas for wild food articles or have any questions or comments, please email [email protected].