Bitter Sweet

As a kid growing up in rural Oklahoma I encountered the the fruit of the wild Persimmon tree at a young age. My older cousin, Richard, convinced me to eat one of these fruits while it was still small, hard and green. Believing he would not ask me do anything that was not okay, I took a bite. The result, which still causes my mouth to pucker when I think about it, was the most bitter taste you can imagine. Of course when the fruit is ripe as in the above picture it is soft and sweet, though they do have a multitude of seeds. I have heard that the Persimmon fruit when ripe makes a wonderful pie. I do know that when the fruit is small, hard and green it also makes for great ammunition for a youngsters' slingshot.