Outdoor
Persimmon
By Lisa Bellows
The offer of an unripened persimmon to a novice can conjure up a good laugh. The alum-like tannins in the unripe fruit cause the mouth to pucker, draw and ultimately spitting will begin followed by some unkind words from the victim of the joke. It is one of my favorite instructional tactics for unsuspecting students. It is especially delightful when the tree hosts both ripe and unripe fruits so that I can eat one of the ripe persimmons and then offer a student one that is not ripe. I know full-well that the student wants to kick me in the shin, but considering that I award their final grade, they refrain.
You may have been told that a frost on the persimmon is necessary to ripen the fruit, but that is untrue. A shriveled appearance of the skin indicates ripeness. If the persimmon is taut and firm, it is best used for a prank but not a tasty treat. When the fruit is ripe, it is extremely sweet and loaded with fruit sugar. The wild varieties in North Texas can be eaten fresh, mashed and used to make fruit breads like pumpkin, pudding, a variety of sweet spreads and even beer and wine. One word of caution in addition to the mouth pucker from the unripe persimmon is that the skin is difficult to digest, so if you have a fondness for the sweet pulp, avoid eating the skins and merely squeeze the fruit out of the skin and enjoy.
To read more pick up the January 2015 issue of North Texas Farm & Ranch.
By Norman Winter | Horticulturist, Author, Speaker
It’s planting season for many and verbenas are high on the list. We had just fallen in love with Superbena Imperial Blue verbena and piled on a bunch of awards then, stop the presses! It has a new name which is now Superbena Cobalt. Not sure if this would be similar to Shakespeare’s ‘What’s in a name?’ scenario but one thing is for certain, it is even better than ‘The Garden Guy’ thought.
This year a cold spell of a few nights had ‘The Garden Guy’ moving containers to the garage for a series of nights in the mid-teens. It was about five nights straight, when they were afforded protection. Several of these containers had Superbena Cobalt verbena. There were three other containers of verbenas on the hillside that I did not move. All of them are now in a stage of riotous bloom.
To read more, pick up a copy of the May issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
By Jelly Cocanougher
What an extraordinary end to the Wise County Youth Fair – a fantastic opportunity for the Heart of a Champion participants to show. From rabbits to lambs, to pigs to dogs – we’ve seen it all. Through this unique event, the Heart of a Champion Livestock show aimed to promote confidence, friendship, and a sense of accomplishment within our amazing community. Everyone worked tirelessly to create an environment that fosters growth, camaraderie, and a shared passion for agriculture. Until next year!
By Tony Dean, [email protected]
If moisture is adequate, there are several winter annual grasses that dominate the landscape during early spring in Texas. One of the most common is Rescuegrass.
This winter annual is native to South America but grows over much of the United States and can be found in all ecoregions of Texas. Rescuegrass is easily recognized by its flat seed head.
Numerous seed heads produce seed that is transported by animals and can quickly spread to other areas.
To read more, pick up a copy of the April issue of NTFR magazine. To subscribe by mail, call 940-872-5922.
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