Pears, Persimmons And More - Fall Is Baking Season!

    This is the week where gardening intersects with practical. Why did the first Floridians begin to cultivate gardens? Because they liked to eat.
    Gardening in its most basic form is about growing enough food to survive. Today, we live in the land of plenty with a grocery store on every corner, but that hasn’t always been the case.
    Early Floridians had to be self-sufficient, and that meant growing food at home. Many a homestead in Florida would have a fruit orchard including things like figs, pomegranates, kumquats, loquats, key limes, Meyers lemons, oranges, grapefruit, hard pears, persimmons, mulberries, and pecans. The fruits and nuts from these trees were part of staying healthy.
    We were able to visit the Oaks Ranch on Griffin Road in Lady Lake last week. The old homestead, which has new owners, has about 40 homestead pear trees in its yard; old, sturdy, and self-sufficient. The trees were producing a lot of fruit, so the new owners let homeschoolers come and pick pears last week. The pears were starting to fall on the ground and attract bees and wasps, but that just means they were really ripe. We picked up a basket-load and came home to make pear jam and cobbler, neither of which are on our diet, but both taste amazing.
    If you live near the woods, like we do, one pear tree won’t be enough because the bears, deer, and squirrels will ravage them before you get any fruit. Better to plant a half a dozen trees to be sure you get to enjoy some of your crop. A little hot wire or scarecrows would help, too.
    We were blessed to have a neighbor on Ravenswood Road also share some fresh ripe persimmons this week, as well. Sweet and soft, the persimmons are good mashed into pulp and added to fall bread. What a treat to have home grown persimmons to enjoy!
    Florida has a long growing season, so don’t try to plant fruit trees just yet while it is too hot, wait until they are dormant. January and February are excellent times to plant fruit trees, so you have 4 or 5 months to locate a native nursery and get some cultivars to add to your homestead. You won’t be sorry.
    Pears to try in your garden are pyrus Pyrifolia. There are many cultivars. Try pineapple pears or Keiffer. They are hard cooking pears, but last long and eat just like an apple peeled and sliced. Great flavor and as we mentioned you might want to can, make jam, or cobbler with the fruit you can grow.
    Also, try adding some Japanese persimmon trees, Diospyros kaki. Pick the fruit when it is large like an apple. Be sure to let them turn orange before you eat them or you will be sorry. Nothing more sour than a green persimmon.
    Other things to add to your homestead garden include blackberries, guava, pineapple, pomegranate, loquats, and kumquats. Why not have some edible fruit in the yard to enjoy along with mowing all that grass?
    Again, it has been a fun week of seeing what is growing in your gardens. Keep those pictures and ideas coming. We love to share the fun in the garden with others. Please send me a picture of what is in your garden this week to hollynewby1@aol.com. Keep growing…