INGREDIENTS:

2 cups persimmon pulp                                 3 eggs (beaten)
1 1/2 cups sugar                                            2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon salt                                        1 3/4 cups milk
1 stick margarine or butter (melted)         1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg                                    1 teaspoon vanilla flavoring
1/2 teaspoon baking soda                               Pinch of ground clove (a pinch is a very small amount between thumb and fore finger)

Mix persimmon pulp, beaten eggs, vanilla flavoring and milk together.  In a separate bowl, sift all dry ingredients together and add liquid ingredients and mix.  Stir in melted margarine or butter.  Lightly grease  a 13 x 9 x 2 inch Pyrex baking dish adding pudding mixture and bake in a 300 degree F. oven for 1 hour.

Above recipe received from Carolyn Thompson from Mt. Gilead, NC on 10-13-08 and had the opportunity to sample some of the persimmon pudding she made yesterday and it was outstanding to say the least.  It would literally melt in your mouth and the little pinch of ground clove she added to the recipe really set this recipe apart from others.  I am going to wait on a pix from Quinton Thompson of the persimmon pudding that he recently photographed and in the meantime, I am going to give this recipe a try myself.

I picked some wild persimmons on the way home from work this afternoon (10-13-08) and will insert a few pixs along the way rendering the wild persimmons into usable pulp.  Below pixs of the small wild persimmon tree where I obtained the persimmons.  I checked another larger tree but the deer or wild hogs had eaten all but two persimmons that had recently fallen onto the ground and the ground beneath the wild persimmon tree was literally torn up as if wild hogs had been in there and it very could well have been wild hogs because I didn't really check the tracks that close but they looked like deer tracks.  This year due to many slow soaking rains received locally, fruit trees are heavy laden and bending over under the weight of their fruit. 

    Click on thumbnails for a larger view.

Check this link out for a back ground and history of our American Persimmon tree (Diospyros virginiana)

Below is pix of a wild persimmon tree with fruit still hanging and is in view from my of my platform hunting tree stand on the ole Pines Davis land near the Anson County airport taken in November of 2000:

Click on thumbnail for a larger view.

This ole colander or fruit press as some call them was in our basement in storage and did a rush sanitize job on it and about ready to start pressing the juice and pulp from the wild persimmons or "simmons" as some call them in these parts.  I did separate the stem from each persimmon before placing them in the colander.  Old timers years ago would place sheets under their persimmon tree to catch the ripened fruit as it would fall from the tree whereby eliminating ground dirt and debris on the persimmons.  Folks back then especially during the 1930's depression used every available food resource and their motto, "Waste not, Want not."   Seems like we are quickly heading back that way again although our politically correct crowd try to avoid the R word, RECESSION!

I have just about gotten all the usable pulp from that batch of wild persimmons.  Each persimmon is loaded with seeds and the deer, raccoons, fox and opossums around here will beat you to the persimmon tree and they consume the wild persimmons whole, seeds and all.  The raccoon and opossum have a slight advantage since they will climb the tree and eat them from the branches whereas yours truly will wait until they fall from the tree when ripe or if the tree is small enough, give it a little shake to help them along.  Two cups of persimmon pulp rendered exactly the right amount for one recipe.

The raw wild persimmon pulp taste as good as it looks and can't wait until the finished product is on the serving dish with yours truly enjoying every delicious bite.   The pulp is headed for the refrigerator until ready to bake the pudding, hopefully tomorrow. 

All the ingredients displayed except the milk for the wild persimmon pudding.  The ole bottle of pure Vanilla was hand walked across the Mexican border many years back while visiting our son who lived in Ocean Side, Ca. at the time and about ready for a new liter bottle which cost a whopping 6 bucks in Mexico!

The wet ingredients blended using a small hand held Kitchen Aid mixer.

Wet and dry ingredients ready for mixing and adding the melted butter. 

I forgot to get a pix of the wild persimmon pudding batter in the Pyrex dish prior to baking and will show a pix of the finished product.  The raw batter tasted good enough to eat by its self!  Note:  The persimmon pudding will rise right up to the rim of the 2 inch deep Pyrex dish but will go back down to about half that thickness as the pudding cools down.

Above wild persimmon pudding cooled down but not all the way...had to cut into it and sink my salivating taste buds into that "beautimous" stuff!  You can easily detect and taste the blend of spices in this recipe.  Awesome Bill aka Mickey Porter!

I know a scoop of whipped cream on top with a mint leaf or wild flower would add some points to my baking and photography skills resume'  but the wild persimmon pudding does not need taste or pictorial enhancement,  just a fork and a hot cup of coffee for you caffeine junkies.   I savored every delicious bite and might add a pictorial enhancement pix later...go ahead and grin now.  Note: The above serving size was for the camera and about 1/4 that size is plenty since this recipe is very, very rich and sweet!

Additional Notes:  A few days after baking the above persimmon pudding, I took a slice to our hair stylist Jennifer Johnson who had never eaten any persimmon pudding and the following week she stated "It is out of this world" and admitted she was just a little apprehensive about trying it and a couple days later was totally impressed after that first bite of the persimmon pudding!  She is now on the look out for some wild persimmons.  I have several looking also and a couple have provided me with enough to make several persimmon puddings and will hold off until around Thanksgiving to make another one.  Beautimous stuff!    

PS  I will add a pix of Carolyn Thompson and pix of the wild persimmon pudding she recently baked when I receive the pixs from her spouse Quinton Thompson.  Until then,  I will insert a pix of Carolyn and Quinton taken at our Annual Halloween party in 2004:

  Click on thumbnail for a larger image.

 Prepared, photographed and web published by Bill aka Mickey Porter 10-14-08.

Picked a large bowl of wild persimmons this morning; most were from another tree I located that is about 15 feet high.  Will mash them out and freeze the pulp this afternoon/evening.  Note: The above rendered 5 cups of pulp.  Bill aka Mickey Porter 10-19-08.