Choose persimmons for a sweet fruit treat
Tammy Roberts, MS, RD, LD, Nutrition and Health Education Specialist, Bates County, University of Missouri Extension
If you’ve never had a persimmon, now is the time to try! Mid-October is the time of year when persimmons ripen and taste the best!
Ripe persimmons are a small, orange-red, smooth-skinned fruit measuring from 1 to 3 inches. American persimmon trees are native to Missouri and produce a more astringent fruit with a bitter taste. As the fruit gets ripe, the tannins that cause the astringency coagulate, the flesh becomes soft and the fruit becomes sweet and juicy.
Missouri persimmons should be picked and eaten when they are very soft, but will ripen off the tree if picked before they are fully ripe. If you pick them before they are ready to eat, leave them at room temperature for a few days to allow them to ripen. To speed up the process, you can put them in a paper bag with a banana or apple. Ripe fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three days.
Persimmons can be frozen for year-round use. Wash, peel and cut persimmon into sections, then press through a sieve to make a puree. For better quality, add 1/8 teaspoon crystalline ascorbic acid or 1½ teaspoons crystalline citric acid to each quart of puree. (Look for crystalline ascorbic acid and crystalline citric acid at the drugstore or where home food preservation supplies are sold.) Missouri persimmons are so sweet when they are ripe that they don’t need added sugar. Pack the puree into freezer containers leaving headspace, seal and freeze.
Persimmons are high in vitamin A, and are a good source of vitamin C and fiber. Many people like them best when picked and eaten right off the tree. Persimmons can also be pureed and used as a topping for ice cream or cake, or as an addition to rice dishes and fruit salads. Persimmon pudding and persimmon cookies are also tasty treats.
View the full version of this article at http://missourifamilies.org/
On-farm research helps growers generate results
LINCOLN, Neb. — As corn and soybean growers work to get crops out of the fields this fall, next year’s growing season may not be the first thing on their minds. However, Laura Thompson, UNL Extension educator, said harvest is the ideal time to consider how on-farm research could benefit their operations.
“Harvest provides a great opportunity to think through production-related questions and determine what practices and inputs should be evaluated next year,” Thompson said. “Did that new product or extra application of fertilizer or water pay off? How does a grower know if the investment was profitable for their specific operation? With lower commodity prices, it is more important than ever to evaluate if production inputs and practices are really paying off.”
The Nebraska On-Farm Research Network (NOFRN) provides an opportunity for growers to get questions answered about their own fields. Research typically is conducted with the producer’s equipment, on the producer’s land and using the producer’s management practices.
NOFRN is sponsored by University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension in partnership with the Nebraska Corn Growers Association, the Nebraska Corn Board and the Nebraska Soybean Board. The goal of the network is to put to use a statewide on-farm research program addressing critical farmer production, profitability and natural resources questions.
Keith Glewen, UNL Extension educator, has worked with farm operators conducting on-farm research for many years.
“The farm operator makes the final decision as to the research topic to be evaluated,” Glewen said. “We encourage growers to give careful thought as to what production practice may be limiting profitability or could enhance the use of soil and water resources on their farm.”
Some current research topics include irrigation management, planting populations, nitrogen management and cover crops.
For more information on the project or how to participate, contact Glewen at 402-624-8030, [email protected], a local UNL Extension office, the Nebraska Corn Board at 402-471-2676, Nebraska Corn Growers Association at 402-438-6459 or the Nebraska Soybean Board at 402-441-3240.
The NOFRN website is at cropwatch.unl.edu/farmresearch
UNL Extension is in the university’s Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.
Fertilize fescue
By: Scott Eckert, County Extension Agent, Horticulture
For tall fescue lawn owners this is the time. If you did not fertilize your cool season lawn (tall fescue, Kentucky Bluegrass, Perennial ryegrass) November is the time. If you are doing a “medium or high” maintenance cool season lawn November is the time! But wait…. If you have a warm season lawn like Buffalograss or Bermudagrass, this is NOT the time!
Why November? Because while top growth slows in response to cool temperatures, grass plants are still making food (carbohydrates) by photosynthesis. A November nitrogen application helps boost the photosynthesis rate. Carbohydrates that are not used in growth are stored in the crown and other storage tissues in the plant. These carbohydrate reserves help the turfgrass green up earlier in the spring and sustain growth into May without the need for early-spring (March or April) nitrogen. Those early-spring nitrogen applications are less desirable because they can lead to excessive shoot growth and reduced root growth. Other benefits of November-applied nitrogen for cool-season grasses include improved winter
hardiness, root growth and shoot density.
How much should you apply? One to 1 to 1 ? pounds actual nitrogen per 1,000 sq. ft. of lawn area is sufficient. In order for this application to be effective, the nitrogen must be readily available to the plant, because the growing season is nearly over. Therefore, for a November application, use a soluble (quickly-available) nitrogen carrier such as urea or
ammonium sulfate. Many turfgrass fertilizers sold in garden centers and other retail outlets also contain soluble nitrogen. Avoid products that contain water-insoluble nitrogen (slow- release) for this application. As always, sweep up any fertilizer that gets on driveways, sidewalks, or streets and reapply it to the lawn.
Roger’s view from the hills: Riding fences
