“To know there is an invisible line between the index finger and that barely discernible trio of fruit swaying up in the canopy...”
We’re honoring the fruits of Indiana forests today, with a pawpaw piece from poet, Ross Gay, plus, some favorite stories and recipes about persimmons.
We also hear from Chef Freddie Bitsoie about creating pathways for Natvie cuisines (see the full story, below).
And Harvest Public Media has a story about what kids can learn when there is a Farm at school.
It's a jam-packed Earth Eats this week, I hope you have a chance to listen.
For the Love of Persimmon
They're round, they're orange, they're squishy and sweet.
Of course we are talking about persimmons, the quintessential fall fruit in the Midwest.
We revisted a beloved feature from Earth Eats founder and former host, Annie Corrigan. It's about Louise Briggs and her 60 food persimmon tree and how she shares her bountiful harvest with the community.
Jackie Bea Howard is back with us, and she has an unexpected take on cooking with persimmon.
Jackie has a history of cooking professionally. Her approach in the kitchen involves intuition, eye-balling measurements, and lots and lots of tasting! She's developed her methods through years of cooking on the fly, and we'll hear a little of her story on this week's show. She has tips for building flavor in a dish, and insights on tasting, and on knowing what to add, depending on what you're tasting, when.
But if you're not ready to fly without a net just yet, we jotted down Jackie's recipes, including a variation featuring another Indiana native fruit, the pawpaw.
And nationally acclaimed poet, Ross Gay reads a draft of an essay from The Book of Delights. This one celebrates the pawpaw.
Check out all the other great persimmon recipes we've featured over the years:
Peppered Persimmon Donuts, with Persimmon Glaze
Music on this episode:
The Earth Eats' theme music is composed by Erin Tobey and performed by Erin and Matt Tobey.
Music Box & Sunshine by Daniel Birch, from the Free Music Archive.
Additional music comes to us from the artists at Universal Productions Music.
