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Delights from the Forest

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Persimmons, orange and messy in a white enamel bowl and a plastic colander on a wooden table

Persimmons are ripe when they fall off the tree, so harvesting them means gathering them from the ground, where they inevitably collect a few leaves. (Kayte Young/WFIU)

“To know there is an invisible line between the index finger and that barely discernible trio of fruit swaying up in the canopy...”

We’re honoring the fruits of Indiana forests today, with a pawpaw piece from poet, Ross Gay, plus, some favorite stories and recipes about persimmons. 

We also hear from Chef Freddie Bitsoie about creating pathways for Natvie cuisines (see the full story, below).

And Harvest Public Media has a story about what kids can learn when there is a Farm at school.

It's a jam-packed Earth Eats this week, I hope you have a chance to listen.

For the Love of Persimmon

They're round, they're orange, they're squishy and sweet.

Of course we are talking about persimmons, the quintessential fall fruit in the Midwest.

We revisted a beloved feature from Earth Eats founder and former host, Annie Corrigan. It's about Louise Briggs and her 60 food persimmon tree and how she shares her bountiful harvest with the community. 

Jackie Bea Howard is back with us, and she has an unexpected take on cooking with persimmon.

Jackie has a history of cooking professionally. Her approach in the kitchen involves intuition, eye-balling measurements, and lots and lots of tasting! She's developed her methods through years of cooking on the fly, and we'll hear a little of her story on this week's show. She has tips for building flavor in a dish, and insights on tasting, and on knowing what to add, depending on what you're tasting, when.

But if you're not ready to fly without a net just yet, we jotted down Jackie's recipes, including a variation featuring another Indiana native fruit, the pawpaw.

And nationally acclaimed poet, Ross Gay reads a draft of an essay from The Book of Delights. This one celebrates the pawpaw. 

Check out all the other great persimmon recipes we've featured over the years:

Persimmon Panna Cotta

Persimmon Pudding

Peppered Persimmon Donuts, with Persimmon Glaze

Persimmon Waffle

Persimmon Jam

Music on this episode:

The Earth Eats' theme music is composed by Erin Tobey and performed by Erin and Matt Tobey.

Music Box & Sunshine by Daniel Birch, from the Free Music Archive.

Additional music comes to us from the artists at Universal Productions Music.

 

Stories On This Episode

Chef Freddie Bitsoie--Making A Pathway For Native Cuisines

Chef Freddie Bitsoie standing in white chef's jacket at a table with bowls of food and an induction burner.

As the chef for the cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian in Washington, DC, Freddie Bitsoie expands understanding of Native Foodways.

Three Bean Ragout With Spice-Rubbed Pork Tenderloin

Slices of roasted meat on a bed of different types of beans.

Chef Freddie Bitsoie of Mitsitam Cafe shares a recipe of stewed beans and roasted pork.

Pawpaw Grove

A man sitting in an adirondack chair in a garden, hand on chin, smiling.

Essay number eighty-six in Ross Gay's Book of Delights.

Jackie Bea's Chai Tea Chia Pudding With Persimmon

You don't have to get fancy with your chia persimmon pudding, but it's a lot more fun that way! (Kayte Young/WFIU)

The chia seeds transform into pudding, naturally. Infuse them with chai tea, top it with persimmon and you've got a light and delicious show-stopper.

Jackie Bea's Persimmon Lamb Curry

The persimmon purée is added to the stew along with coconut milk, and forms the base of the sauce (Kayte Young/WFIU)

It's not an authentic curry, from an Indian or Thai tradition--it's built from what's on hand, and customized to your tastes.

Jackie Bea's Persimmon Salad Dressing

This thick, tangy dressing will marinate the beets in these salads, prepped ahead of time for a week of lunches (Kayte Young/WFIU)

Here's a quick and savory idea for persimmon purée: mix it in with your vinaigrette!

The Persimmons Are Falling!

persimmons

Louise Briggs has a love/hate relationship with her 60-foot persimmon tree. We visit the crew of locals who are helping to put the fruit to good use.

For some schoolkids, lesson plans include arithmetic, art and now agriculture

Fifth grader holds chickens as its wings are trimmed

Even in America’s breadbasket, most children know more about TikTok than livestock. But some schools are making farm work into classwork. They’ve built chicken coops and sheep pens near their playgrounds in ways that seem to pay off in the classroom.

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