Fun with Fall Alliteration

It still feels a little surreal to me to think about the end of 2010 coming up in just 5 short weeks, but I have managed to get my bearings enough lately to enjoy some of the late Fall/early Winter veggies that abound this time of year. This past week, my husband and I indulged in one of our favorites along with trying something new from the cool-season crops.

My favorite way to eat Parsnips is to fry them in a pan to bring out their natural sweetness, tossed lightly in butter and olive oil. If eating them for breakfast, I also drizzle them with maple syrup, which works exceptionally well if roasting them in the oven. And, after searching them in Wikipedia, I read that Parsnips contain more energy-building Potassium than their carrot cousins. Who knew?

I also got a little brave myself while visiting Horrock's earlier in the week, and finally picked up a few Persimmons, an orange-ish fruit that only shows up in the Fall. The guy stocking them gave us a great selling point by describing their texture as 'fully-cooked jello'. Hmm, that
sounds...not great, but we tried them anyway, and we were impressed with their sweet, delicate flesh and lack of annoying seeds. They reminded me a little of a Muskmelon, but not quite as summery. I also did some psuedo-research on Persimmons in Wikipedia (how I love thee!) and was even more fascinated with the folklore surrounding them: a type has been said to be the 'lotus fruit' mentioned in Homer's 'Odyssey', and apparently there is a festival of Persimmons in Indiana each Fall, featuring a baked Persimmon Pudding. I'd like to get that recipe, if any of y'all have it ;D