'Possum in the 'simmon tree; Raccoon on the ground

I  remember as a child hearing a bluegrass song on the Grand Ole Opry
that went something like this:  "Possum in a 'simmon tree; Raccoon on the ground.  'Possum said to raccoon, Throw them 'simmons down!"

We had wild persimmon trees on the farm and if we tried to eat them before the were ripe, it would cause our mouth to pucker up something terrible.  But ripe persimmons were juicy and sweet.  They were always better after the first frost.  We had a hard time getting them before the wild animals ate them up.

Our neighbors have nursery stock persimmon trees in their yards.  Two days ago I picked some of the fruit to slice and put in the dehydrator to dry.  It only takes two days to dry them to make them crisp and sweet.

When you slice the persimmons, there is a beautiful star design.  There are no seeds in the cultivated persimmons. If you wait until the persimmons are fully ripe, the slices are bright orange.

I plan to use some of my dried fruit to make a kitchen wreath for Thanksgiving.  I will use sticks of cinnamon with the persimmon slices, all strung on raffia and hang it in the kitchen window.  Then I will use the leftover to make delicious persimmon bread.