THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, October 16, 1996 TAG: 9610150127
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 02 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: COASTAL JOURNAL
SOURCE: Mary Reid Barrow
LENGTH: 93 lines
Ever since Capt. John Smith wrote about how an unripe persimmon could ``draw a man's mouth awrie with much torment'' because of its astringent flavor, the little orange fruits have been looked upon with disfavor.
But the persimmon has met its match in Esty Vollrath. Her testament to the fruit would make the most skeptical of folks think again.
Vollrath never met a persimmon she didn't like, and proof of her allegiance to the native fruits was laid out on her breakfast table last week. Persimmon cookies (iced and un-iced), persimmon breads (both quick and yeast), persimmon jam and persimmon pie awaited me, all homemade by Vollrath from fruits that grow in her Kings Grant yard.
The aroma of persimmons and spices filling the kitchen and the colorful pumpkin-orange pie and darker orange breads and cookies hit all the buttons to set my senses in tune with autumn.
Vollrath had even more proof that persimmons were a good thing - a display box full of earrings, ``Handcrafted from persimmon tops by Esty Vollrath.'' She spends several days drying the little brownish-black woody caps between paper towels and flattening them out under a heavy catalog. Then she puts several coats of paint on the tops and glues on earring backs.
The earrings come in red, black, white, pink and natural as well as silver and gold for the holidays. Their shape is reminiscent of dogwood blossoms. Vollrath sells them for $4 and says the only drawback is the woody caps are fragile and can break with too much pressure.
Over time, Vollrath has made well more than 200 pairs of persimmon cap creations and has sold or given away most of them. She's a busy lady this time of year when the persimmons are falling from the huge tree in her front yard. Not only does making earrings take up her time, but extracting the pulp from seedy persimmons is no easy chore.
Wild persimmons, about the size of a 50-cent piece, are filled with large, flat black seeds. The fruits must be put through a food mill to extract the pulp.
``It's a lot of work,'' Vollrath said. ``People tell me I'm silly. It takes about two hours to wash, cap and peel enough persimmons to make 2 1/2 to 3 cups of pulp.''
Silly or not, using the wild fruits to bake up cookies, pies and breads is fun, she said. Besides, her mother used to do the same thing so she's carrying on the tradition.
Vollrath has adapted most of her recipes from recipes that call for other fruits like peaches or pumpkins. For example, to make freezer jam, she began with the recipe for peaches.
``I substituted persimmon for peach,'' she said, ``and ended up using less sugar and less persimmon until I finally got it right.''
The persimmon tree was in the yard 22 years ago when the Vollraths purchased their home. It was small and did not bear fruit the first few years. Now it towers over the house and every fall it is covered with the little orange fruits, which are usually ripe when they fall to the ground.
``It's loaded,'' Vollrath said. ``Every couple of days, my husband goes out and picks them up.''
Call Vollrath at 486-3217 if you're interested in earrings or in talking about persimmon recipes. ``I think they should be appreciated,'' she said.
You would definitely appreciate her persimmon cookies: Mix 1/2 cup margarine, 1 cup sugar, 1 egg, 1 cup persimmon pulp and 1 teaspoon vanilla.. Sift together and add 2 cups flour, 1 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon each of cloves, cinnamon and nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. One-half cup chopped nuts and/or raisins are optional.
Drop batter by the teaspoonful on to a greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes, making sure they don't burn.
P.S. The Butterfly Society of Virginia will meet at 2 p.m. Saturday at Norfolk Botanical Garden.
CRAB CAKES, CORN BREAD, chili, coleslaw and sweet potato pie is the menu for the Princess Anne County/Virginia Beach Historical Society's fall benefit from 3 to 6 p.m. Sunday at Upper Wolfsnare. Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for children ages 6 to 12. Pumpkins and pansies will be for sale, and the Flatland Cloggers will perform. To find out more, call 340-8889.
THE EVOLUTION OF THE CHESAPEAKE BAY is the topic of the Virginia Beach Audubon Society meeting at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 22 at Eastern Shore Chapel Episcopal Church, 2020 Laskin Road.
FIELD GROWN CHRYSANTHEMUMS in full bloom are still available at Jim Bright's farm, 643 Princess Anne Road. Some are out near the road with an honor box for purchase during the week or you can stop by over the weekend for personal service. The chrysanthemums are in 11-inch pots and sell for $6. MEMO: What unusual nature have you seen this week? And what do you know
about Tidewater traditions and lore? Call me on INFOLINE, 640-5555.
Enter category 2290. Or, send a computer message to my Internet address:
mbarrow(AT)infi.net. ILLUSTRATION: Photos by Mary Reid Barrow
Esty Vollrath uses persimmons grown in her Kings Grant yard to make
breads, jam, pie and cookies (above) - and earrings (left). by CNB