The Fuyu variety of persimmons can be eaten raw on their own or chopped up in salads. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

By Michelle Beck

Persimmons always remind me of my noni, Ersilia Depianti. Every fall, she made soft, spicy persimmon cookies. Persimmons are an orange, smooth-skinned fruit with a warm, almost spicy flavor that goes nicely with fall baking. They grow very well here in Bakersfield, and many older houses have trees in the back yard. The Farmers’ Market and grocery stores also sell them.

The most common variety found here is Hachiya. These are the bigger fruit with the pointed tip, and are best for baking. They are most commonly used in cookies and breads with cinnamon, raisins and walnuts. They should be allowed to ripen until they are extremely soft and squishy, as they are very bitter before they are ripe. To remove the pulp, just cut off the top of the persimmon and squeeze the pulp out. The pulp also freezes well for future use.

I brought these cookies to work one day and they were very popular:

Lemon-Glazed Persimmon Bars

This recipe is very similar to the persimmon cookies Noni made when I was a kid.

Persimmon Cookies

The smaller, flatter persimmons are the Fuyu variety. They are used while they are still firm. They are delicious eaten raw, like an apple, or they can be sliced and added to a salad like this persimmon-feta-hazelnut salad.

Tree Nuts

Bakersfield is full of nut trees whose fruit will be ripening (and falling) soon. Pecan trees are readily found in yards here; walnuts less so. If you are lucky enough to have nut trees, it’s a simple matter to put them in a bucket and shell them while you are watching TV. Nuts freeze very well. I have used one of these crackers for shelling pecans, and they definitely make it easier. Fresh nuts taste much better than stored nuts, so if you are not lucky enough to have a tree, watch for them at the Farmers’ Market. If you want some fresh almonds, visit the Ballou Family Farms table at the Farmers’ Market. The sliced cinnamon almonds are amazing on oatmeal. They are also terrific with Trader Joe’s nonfat plain Greek yogurt with just a drizzle of honey. I noticed the Ballous now have several different flavors of the spiced almonds, in addition to the plain ones. But she was out by the time I got there, so I didn’t get to try any.

Swiss Chard

I have seen Swiss chard at the Farmers’ Market, so it is coming into season. I tried chard for the first time a couple of years ago, when the prettiness of its multicolored stems lured me into buying it. Chard is a nutritious, leafy green and can be sauteed and added to scrambled eggs, soups and most recipes that call for cooked spinach. The thicker stems should be cut off and cooked first, with the leaves cut and added later, allowing them to wilt. Sauteed chard is also a nice side dish with meals. This sauteed chard with raisins and pine nuts recipe has a few more ingredients, but is still simple to prepare.

Pomegranates

We have been enjoying pomegranates off the tree lately. I know people add them to salads and all kinds of other foods, but I like them raw right off the tree. I wait for them to crack a little before picking them, then remove the seeds in the sink, to reduce the mess from the juice. I also really like pomegranate jelly, so I usually buy some juice and make a few jars. I find most pomegranate jelly recipes to be too sweet because they call for more sugar than pomegranate juice, so I used this one that calls for low-sugar pectin. Be sure to measure carefully, and don’t cut the sugar any further, or it will not set and you’ll have pomegranate syrup. (The first recipe on the page uses the regular pectin. I used the second recipe and Sure-Jell lower-sugar pectin.)

Pomegranates are loaded with antioxidants, but a quick reminder that those benefits are not conferred when the pomegranate is just a flavor added to yogurt and other processed foods.

Turkey

Thanksgiving is coming, and if you want to order an organic and/or heritage turkey, now is the time. Lassen’s takes orders for organic turkey, but they have only a limited number, so it’s best to call early. I believe Abundant Harvest has already finished their turkey ordering. If you would like to learn more about heritage turkeys, you can read about them here: http://heritageturkeyfoundation.org/

Eggs

Many people are concerned about commercial egg production and want to buy eggs they perceive as more humanely produced or healthier. Unfortunately, terms like “free range” can be misleading. The only way to really know the origin of your eggs is to talk directly to the farmer, which means buying from places like farmers’ markets or Abundant Harvest Organics. Many people do have their own backyard chickens, but that is another column.

I am not going to tell you where you should get your eggs, but I do think everyone should be educated about the different terms. If you don’t know much about commercial egg production, here is a link to some information: http://henhouseeggs.com/5.html. In my opinion, commercial egg production is not pleasant, and this is the mildest article I could find. If you want to learn more, a quick internet search will give you many articles with more graphic descriptions and pictures.

“Free-range” brings to mind bucolic visions of chickens frolicking in the grass, eating bugs. The reality is not as pleasant. Eggs can still be labeled “free range” even if the chickens are crammed beak to beak on the floor of a barn as long as there is some sort of access to the outdoors at least part of the time.

“Organic” eggs come from chickens fed organic feed and not given antibiotics. But the chickens can still be crowded into a barn in the same way as the “free range” chickens. Wikipedia has the shortest, clearest explanation I can find regarding this issue: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Organic_egg_production

“Pastured” is an unregulated term, but many small, truly free-range egg farmers have started using it to indicate that their chickens lead outdoorsy chicken lives. “Tractored” chickens refers to chickens that are raised in open-bottomed coops on wheels. These tractors are moved around, giving the chickens constant access to grass and bugs.

Interesting Blog

When I was looking for a low-sugar pomegranate jelly recipe, I came across this interesting blog: www.modernbeet.com. The woman writes about local, seasonal, sustainable cooking.

Book

Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and advocate for sustainable food, recently released a new book, “The Omnivore’s Dilemma for Kids.” He was interviewed on Martha Stewart’s show the other day and said the book is aimed at children ages 8 to 12. It looks great, and I am planning to pick it up for my own child.

Movie

The movie “Food, Inc.” is now available for rental. We’ve got it in our Netflix queue and can’t wait to watch it. Fandango has a summary here.

You can also become a fan of Food Inc. on Facebook.

Slow Food movement

The Slow Food movement advocates non-processed, naturally produced food. In other words, the opposite of fast food. Slow Food USA has a fan page on Facebook with many interesting links.