I've seen it offered for sale locally, but I really didn't know what persimmon pulp was or what you did with it, until I asked some questions and did some research this week.

According to the Web site www.joepastry.com, a persimmon is a roundish, orangeish, sweetish fruit that varies in size, taste and appearance depending on where you find them.

In America, persimmons as a rule are quite small, rather hard and usually dry (the word "persimmon" is in fact a Cree Indian word for "dry fruit").

What do persimmons taste like?

I'm told they are kind of like an apricot, though they can be a lot sweeter. They're also more gelatinous on the inside.

This week I called Imogene Pruett the director at the Worthington Senior Citizens Center -- one of the local places that annually sells persimmon pulp -- to inquire more about persimmons and their use.

Imogene, who said she wouldn't call herself an expert on persimmons or persimmon pulp, said from the pulp you can make some tasty pudding, cookies, bread and fudge.

The pulp sells for $4 a pint at the Worthington Senior Citizen Center and last year about $700 was raised by its sale during the autumn months.

She acknowledged that the pulp is concentrated and about two cups are used for a batch of pudding and a single cup is used for most of the cake, cookie and fudge recipes.

Straight off the tree, persimmons are very tart, but the pulp is made by simmering the persimmons five to 10 minutes in a heavy covered saucepan over low heat, stirring often, with enough apple juice or other fruit juice to prevent burning or splattering. Cool the mixture, then pass it through a food mill using the coarsest strainer to remove the large seeds. Or you can just pick out the seeds with your fingers.

Expect to get one part pulp from two parts whole persimmon fruit.

Pruett said the persimmon harvest season hits its prime in October and November and it's a traditional table delight for many Indiana holiday meals.

"We don't have as much this year because of the weather, but it's a nice money-making project for us (at the senior citizen's center)," she stated.

To place an order call 875-2525 or 875-2012.

* The Web site www.feelingsjustare.com suggests that persimmons can also forecast the weather.

If you take a persimmon and cut it open you will find that it will contain either a knife, fork or spoon shape in the seed area.

They say if a knife appears it will be a bitey cold winter, a fork is lots of flurries and a spoon, get the shovel out because you are in for a long, hard winter.

* The Web site www.all recipes.com turned up some recipes. Enjoy!

Indiana Persimmon Pudding

Ingredients

2 cups persimmon pulp

2 eggs

1 cup white sugar

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

6 cups milk

1 tablespoon butter

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, stir together the persimmon pulp and eggs using a whisk. Stir in sugar. Combine the flour and baking soda; stir into the persimmon alternating with milk until smooth. Pour into a large greased crock or casserole dish. Drop dabs of butter on top.

3. Bake for 2 hours in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes. Pudding will be dark brown when finished. Serve hot or cold.

Persimmon Pudding Cake

Ingredients

3/4 cup white sugar

1 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup persimmon pulp

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup milk

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F . Lightly grease one 9 or 10 inch bundt pan.

2. Combine the persimmon pulp with the baking soda. Stir in the sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, raisins, chopped nuts and milk. Mix until combined. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 hour. Serve warm with lemon sauce or vanilla ice cream.

Persimmon Cookies

Ingredients

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 cup butter

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

2 cups persimmon pulp

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F

2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and ginger in a bowl; set aside. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the butter mixture before adding the next. Beat in the persimmon pulp. Mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Drop spoonfuls of the dough 2 inches apart onto ungreased baking sheets.

3. Bake in the preheated oven until slightly puffed and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Cool on the pan for 5 minutes before removing to cool completely on a wire rack.

Nick is the assistant editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947-4487 or by e-mail at schneider.nick@gmail.com or nschneider@gcdailyworld.com. Follow him on Twitter at http://twitter.com/wordmaster1953.