Short Take: It's persimmon picking time

It's persimmon picking time in Greene County and for people who don't want to pick their own, persimmon pulp is once again available for sale at the Worthington Senior Citizens Center. They charge $4 for two cups of pulp.

Besides not having to go on the hunt, buying their pulp means you don't have to peel the persimmons yourself or remove the seeds or smash them up before you make the pudding - it's ready to use.

This is about the fourth year the Seniors have been doing this. It started out small but they found there was a demand for persimmon pulp and the project has now become one of their main fundraisers. The Seniors donate their time and all of the money made goes toward paying the winter utility bills to help keep the Center open.

Some persimmon trees ripen before the first frost, others after, so they'll be processing persimmons for awhile. They freeze the pulp and sell the packages until they run out. So if you wait until a winter holiday to buy, it will probably still be available, and it's okay to call them at 875-2525 to check on their supply.

Just don't ask them where to go to pick your own. The best persimmon trees are like mushroom patches. They've staked out several trees in the area and they won't tell you where they are.

Each year since they started, the Senior persimmon project has gotten a little more attention and they say people are driving longer distances just to buy the pulp.

After I wrote a story about them for the Greene County Daily World last fall, they attracted the attention of a website devoted to, you guessed it, persimmon pudding.

Find everything you ever wanted to know about persimmons at www.persimmonpudding.com and once there, click on the "News" link to pull up the story featuring Greene County's own persimmon project by the Seniors.