Persimmon seeds

[springkeeper]

This morning Patrick, the girls, and I went to my parent's farm for a visit. Dad took the girls to gather persimmons to see the seed's "forcast" for this winter. The three seeds were opened and spoons prevailed meaning we will have a harsh winter with wet snow.

If there is a fork, there will be a mild winter with dry snow and a knife means there will be an icy winter with cutting winds.

Anyone els familiar with this folklore?

Carrie Craddock

[Justin Runyon]

Re: Persimmon seeds

Yes Ms. Carrie, we still do it all the time here in Hoosierdom, among other methods. By the way, the hornets here in Indiana agree with your Tennesee persimmon seeds.

[springkeeper]

Re: Persimmon seeds

If Indiana hornets and Tennessee persimmons seeds predict a harsh winter perhaps my kids will be able to use the sled which has been hanging in garage for 3 years now.

Carrie Craddock

[Charles Heath]

Re: Persimmon seeds

Only three seeds from wrinkled persimmons? C'mon, you know you needed at least seven more. :-)

The white oak mast is thick and acorns huge, and the grass has sweeted up mightily in the past couple of weeks. Folklore or not, I enjoy this stuff and who is ready for the annual wooly worm discussion?

[Spinster]

Re: Persimmon seeds

The weatherman says we are up for a nice mild winter......

That means I better refresh the pipe wrap, heavy mulch on everything, make sure I've got storm groceries on hand.... :D

and Miss Carrie, even this far South, My Mama believes that everybody ought to own a sled, and buys them for folks as wedding presents, because "when you need one, you sure can't buy one"

[Csayankee]

Re: Persimmon seeds

Well,

My wife always told me to look at the wooley worms for weather prediction in KY. The darker the fuzz / fur is the harsher the winter. Well I saw six yesterday and all them had dark red almost black colored fur.

[springkeeper]

Re: Persimmon seeds

I have a recipe for persimmon cake with cream cheese icing but have never made it as I can never find enough fruit in good condition. The nocturnal critters get first pick.

I have seen only one wooly worm this fall and he was half black, half red. Either he was undecided or confused.

Last month the spiders built their webs low to the ground. I believe that means a harsh winter.

Carrie Craddock

[Anna Worden Bauersmith]

Re: Persimmon seeds

who is ready for the annual wooly worm discussion?

Here (NY) the ones I have seen have been solid light brown and solid dark brown rather that strips of light-dark-light or dark-light-dark. What does this mean????

note- I have winter anxiety so I had to check where each of you were forecasting from.

Anna Worden

[Canton Zouave]

Re: Persimmon seeds

Well the wooly worm, aka: Wooly Bear, I ran over the other day (sssshhhhhh....dont tell my wife) was as black as coal. So I guess that means Northeast Ohio is going to have a cold harsh winter.

[springkeeper]

Re: Persimmon seeds

I did a bit of research and found wooly worms/bears have been used to predict weather as far back as Colonial times.

Narrow brown bands indicate a harsh winter weather and thick brown bands indicate a mild winter. What the color really means is how close to adulthood the worm is.

Did you know there is a Wooly Bear Festival in Banner Elk, NC the third weekend of Oct. complete with wooly bear races?

Carrie Craddock

[Canton Zouave]

Re: Persimmon seeds

Wooly Bear are two colors. Rust and Dark Brown (so dark they are almost black) The more rust color (the middle band) that shows the milder the winter.

According to the Northeast Ohio Wooly Bear Web Site we are going to have a below normal winter, except in our wonderful snow belt.

Now my daughter has seen a mostly rust colored Wooly Bear this past week. So my prediction is, I personally am going to have a severe winter, and everyone elses should be normal.

Anyways, here is the NorthEast Ohio Wooly Bear site. I sent an email to Dick Goodard, the originator of the Wooly Bear Festival, as he orignally found the reference to the Wooly Worm Predicting method in an 1820's dated text.

http://vermilionohioharbourtown.homestead.com/VermilionOhioWoollyBearFestival.html

[Canton Zouave]

Re: Persimmon seeds

OOPS....forgot to add one. The pin oaks in the back yard have a ton of acorns on the trees, and not just tops for once.

[Union Navy]

Re: Persimmon seeds and woolly bears

There are more than a few species of Arctiid moths that have woolly caterpillars. The Isabella moth is the one with the banded woolly bear larva. My reference book says "the amount of black on each end or its body does not, of course, predict the coldness of the coming winter." (killjoys). The great leopard moth larva is all black, and the acrea moth caterpillar is all reddish brown, both quite woolly.
Personally, I'd rely more on persimmon seeds (after I'd pulled them out and made persimmon pudding...)