Gathering for Fall

After all the vegetables and fields had been harvested, farm families in the past began making their final efforts to gather the last bounty from nature before winter set in. One of the first fall crops were apples. Sometimes these could be found in the wild, where an early settler had once planted them, from droppings where birds had eaten seeds, or from apple cores discarded by someone passing by. They would keep for a few months in a cool, dry place. Homemakers also dried them, made apple butter, prepared apple jelly, and canned them, after that process became available. Of course, they were good to eat right away and in such things as pies and desserts.

Black walnuts in their hulls

Nuts were also eagerly sought. Some types of nuts grew in almost every continental location. They could be collected and stored for cracking during the winter months. They were good for eating and added variety to bread and dessert dishes.

Persimmons came late in the fall. In fact, many people believed they didn't get sweet until the first frost hit. The tree is actually native to Asia, but it immigrated to Europe and into America. Homemakers came up with many recipes using the fruit. Persimmon pudding became a favorite one. Here is one recipe for it:

Traditional Persimmon Pudding

2 cups persimmon pulp
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup self-rising flour
2 beaten eggs
1 1/4 cups whole milk or half and half
4 tablespoons melted butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325 degrees and butter or spray a 9x9 or 9x13 (depending on the thickness you prefer) baking dish. Mix sugars, soda, milk and eggs well. (You can adjust the flour and milk to get the consistency you prefer.) Blend in other ingredients. Pour into baking dish and bake about 55 minutes. It will puff up, but will fall back down when removed from the oven.

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