Photo essay – A late fall afternoon spent harvesting:
Every neighborhood has adventures just outside its borders. Most of us live and drive within the same 25 miles all the time. Where we drive mostly depends on work and family pressures, so it’s a joy to escape the routine and explore a bit further or try out a new area. You can be a tourist in your own town,without the budgetary strain!
Here’s a photo essay from a recent adventure. I look forward to visiting these Persimmon trees each year and a late harvest of their bounty. They line a road less than a half hour’s drive from San Diego.
Enjoy!
On most weekends in the fall, families line the rural street with cars.
Some come prepared to reach the top. We’ve found lots of fruit within arms reach.
Up the hill from the street is the tree owner. Sydney runs the family business and oversees the harvest. You can purchase buckets full ready to take home. She also provides empty buckets for you to fill and then charges by how much you pick. Win.Win.
The little kids have a blast running in the leaves and picking up ripe fruit. No one wants to be left out.
What you do with them at home is another story. We’ve taken to slicing the ripe Persimmons and putting them on dryer trays. The thin, crisp slices are better than candy (and better for you.) Other types of Persimmons are better for cooking.
Taken in Ramona, California
Photos: Elaine J. Masters
I used to date an Albanian girl who was crazy for Persimmons. That was my first introduction to the fruit, and since then, I have found many ways to enjoy them. I always thought of Romona as just classic car shows, great Thai food (really), and creationist science, but now I know that there is a persimmon harvest as well. When Jenn and I worked at the ropes course in Julian, we would stop by Ramona for fresh produce. Usually it was the avocados that brought us in but now…
What great experiences, Ed. I hope you find that grove to pick or take home a bucket from the farmhouse.