LOVE Persimmons, especially when they're ripe

Speaking of persimmons (see next post, below), I LOVE LOVE LOVE them! Both kinds: Fuyu and Hachiya. I love them so much so that I look for them in November and eat as many as possible before the season runs out.

Last November, I saw several persimmon trees around the neighborhood. One of them is obviously not prized by its owner because I slipped on the ripe fruits that were splattered on the ground. So I left a note in the mailbox saying, "May I have some of your persimmons?" with my phone number. I left a similar note in two other mailboxes.

Only got one call-back but one was enough! She said 'sure' and 'thanks for asking.'

I put the 7' ladder into the car and was off! I brought a friend and several empty grocery bags. I picked about 25 fruit in various stages of ripeness. That didn't even begin to denude one corner of the tree -- plenty left for everyone else. They were huge -- beautiful, heart shaped ones, some with those lovely black markings on the orange skin. Yummmmm.

I aligned them carefully on the kitchen table: 15 lovely persimmons. They brighten my spirits every time I went into the kitchen, and I controled myself to savor them for weeks!

The Bane of my Existence

Deep orange, lustrous, slick, sometimes hard, sometimes pulpy, cloyingly sweet when ripe, astringently tannic when green.  Persimmons.

The Fuyu (above), round and firm, is the type most commonly found in American markets.  It can be eaten in bites, or sliced and used in salads or as garnish.  

The ovoid Hachiya (left) is edible when it is soft and pulpy and therefore completely unsuitable for market bins.  The texture can be off-putting, but if you freeze and eat them with a spoon (and throw in a little whiskey), it's not too bad.

I abhorred persimmons as a kid, and even now won't go out of my way to eat them, so of course I inherited not just one, but two large trees, one of each kind.  Every year, friends and family members receive both the fresh fruits, and those my father dries, so most of the fruits are given away or consumed by the birds and I never really give them much thought.  This year, for the first time, I actually noticed how pretty they actually are, and took some photos today.

Every autumn, both trees sag under the weight of the maturing fruit, and the delicate branches need to be propped up so they don't break.  As the weather cools and the leaves drop, the fruits ripen on bare limbs.  On the stark branches, the contrast of orange against the blue sky is brilliant on a sunny day.  And on a gray day, the flash of brightness can be a welcome reminder that clear skies will return.

Passionfruit Seeds Germinating

Over July 4th, I sowed about 36 seeds of Passiflora Edulis, from an actual 3" fruit grown near Santa Barbara (CA) that I bought at Draeger's. I put the pulp on a piece of cheesecake, but saved the seeds.

 

Two weeks later, 2 of them sprouted. Typical of passionfruit, they vigorously grew to 4-leaf seedlings in a week. Some of the slower starters also sprouted, so I got 4 seedlings from 36 seeds.

 

Encouraged by this success, I found on eBay a Canadian seed seller selling 15 Cananga Odorata (Ylang Ylang) seeds for $5. They arrived this week. I have to buy new seed medium and really baby these guys. I hope I get a better germination rate than the passiflora.

 

Meanwhile, my roses LOVED the 2-week long, nearly 100 degree heat wave! They're all blooming as if it were spring! My Graham Thomas English rose, which I actually considered throwing away because the flowers only had about 30 petals, has suddenly decided to be more true to form and have made many blossoms on long, nodding branches, each a shallow cup shape with more than a hundred golden yellow petals. I guess it knew it was headed for the trash bin.

Chemical Warfare on Blackspot: Bayer Advanced All-in-One

This is the second year that my roses have suffered black spot. Not as bad as last year, but still bad.

 

I've tried the Ultrafine oil, the Rose Defense (Neem oil), baking soda and detergent, strong jet of water... none of it worked for me. So I invested $15 (Home Depot. $20 at Summer Winds, aka Woolworth's) in Bayer Advanced All-in-One. Poured it on in June. So, don't know the various interactions with the humidity, sun, etc. etc., but it does seem to work somewhat. I still see some leaves turning brown and falling off, but the plants are blooming well, putting out strong canes... This weekend is time for the second application so by late August, I will have two data points.

Pink Jasmine about to Bloom

Wow, it's been that long since a post! I've already fertilized again in mid-March. The camellia which are supposed to be dormant, apparently appreciated E.B. Stone Organics Ultra Bloom because they've all put out yet another set of buds, big ones. Just as well because the rain turned the previous blooms brown.

 

The buds have been on the Jamine for months and today, 2 finally opened up. Maybe if it were warmer, it would have done it sooner? The night temps are still pretty brisk -- out last night at 3:30 AM (don't ask) and I was really cold. But the plants don't seem to mind, I guess becasue it's maybe 41 at night -- better than low 30s which was Dec-Jan's lows. I'm surprised the black spot hasn't hit (yet?). Maybe the cold has kept it at by?

 

I found out from search Google images for Salet classic rose, that the climber I have which I thought was Salet, isn't. I don't know what it is, but it's probably not even a classic rose. I never thought I'd be involved with rose identification. Maybe I'll post a photo on GardenWeb's rose forum and ask them to identify it?

 

My indoor miniature rose has spider mites. Too lazy to mix a dose of Ultrafine so I hit it with a thorough spraying of Pam, yes the stuff you put on pans to keep your food from sticking. And i moved the plat outdoors -- maybe the air and cold temps will also combat the mites? We'll see how that works.

 

I am still toying iwth the idea of planting the pink jasmine under the huge climbing rose -- to 'hide' the 2" canes with lots of really vicous looking thorns. Is that a good idea? Does Jasmine have deep roots that will compete against the rose? Is the rose mature enough that it won't care?