What Do the Persimmons Say?

By Mark McCauley, Resource Conservationist 

That’s a good question, and it depends on which ones you “ask”, and how well you “listen”. What are we talking about? Midwesterners have looked to signs in nature for generations to predict seasonal weather, and in terms of persimmons, they have cut open the seeds and examined the shapes inside (called cotyledons), to predict the type of winter they are going to have. Those cotyledons will typically fit one of three different shapes. A “fork” (indicating a milder winter), a “spoon” (indicating a snowy winter), or a “knife” (indicating a bitter cold winter).

The idea is to gather local persimmon fruits in the fall, preferably after they have ripened and fallen to the ground. The persimmons I gathered for this experiment came from right here in central Hamilton County. I picked up persimmon fruit from 12 different trees on the same property, and then took one seed from each of those fruits. I washed the pulp off and dried the seeds, and then very carefully, used a sharp knife to split each one across the thin edge. What I found was a mixture of the three shapes, assuming I read them (listened) correctly. Later in this article I will get back to what I found, but more about persimmon trees.

Persimmon trees are a native tree of Indiana, and a favorite of local folks the further south you go in the state, it seems. In fact, one small town in Lawrence County holds a “Persimmon Festival” each year and has done so for decades. That little town is Mitchell, IN, home of astronaut Gus Grissom, and not far from Spring Mill State Park. I have been to this festival and it has a lot of local charm and fun.

I have read a lot about the idea that you need both male and female persimmon trees to produce fruit (to allow for cross pollination), but I have also read that sometimes certain varieties can self-pollinate, and that even in rare cases, certain trees may change their “sex” year to year. It is a bit confusing, and since I am no expert in that area, I won’t go into more detail here.

Persimmon fruits have not only been used by wildlife and humans for probably 1000’s of years, but the wood has been favored by golf club makers in years past, specifically for the driver heads. The heartwood can often contain very dark streaks (almost black) as it is the North American relative of the Ebony tree. The bark of mature trees is also quite distinctive, exhibiting a “checkerboard” appearance. Trees started from seed can start bearing fruit in 7 -9 years, but grafted trees may start bearing fruit as early as 3 years old, from what I have read.

Regarding human uses of the fruit, ripe persimmons can be processed to obtain the pulp, which can then be used in a variety of recipes for cake, cookies, bread, and my favorite, persimmon pudding. I did not know about this wonderful creation growing up, as persimmon trees were not common in my area. However, I have a good friend who lives in Daviess County, and his mom gave me my first introduction to this southern Indiana favorite many years ago. I was hooked from then on and have often made this treat in the Fall. In fact, it has become synonymous with Autumn for me …the collecting of the fruit, the distinctive sweet smell, the aroma of baking pudding …so good!

​Back to the seeds. Here is what I saw when I cut open 12 seeds (one from each of 12 trees). Five were “spoons”, four were “forks”, and three were “knives”. So how do we interpret that, according to old folklore? Spoons indicate a snowy winter (think of it as a tiny snow shovel). Forks indicate a milder winter. Knives indicate a harsh/cold winter (think of it as cold wind, cutting like a knife). So, what can we take away from these 12 seeds?

​Maybe this--a fairly snowy winter (more than in recent years), with a few severe wind chill days. There it is! An unscientific prediction that really means nothing, but still fun to do.

Have people looked to nature for other signs to predict weather? Yes, and there are a variety, including wooly worm colors, observing how active squirrels are collecting nuts, and even studying bear fat in a jar, but since we don’t have a lot of that in Hamilton County, persimmons, wooly worms, or squirrels will have to do.