Persimmon brownies and sumac salmon

So, I am still attempting to make more using my foraged goods. Here are two of my latest.

Persimmon brownies. Actually, they are more like spice cake but that's what they were called. I didn't really taste the persimmon in them. It was just a really moist spice cake which I enjoyed.

Here they are. They aren't ripe until they look like they're rotting. They're very mushy. If you eat them before they're ripe, they suck all the moisture right out of your mouth. A very bizzare sensation that I don't like! And in all honesty, I don't actually like the flavor when they are ripe either. I tried making a persimmon sauce, like cranberry sauce but it was gross so I threw it out! Like I said, I couldn't really taste the persimmons in this so I liked it. But since I don't like the flavor of these raw, I don't think I'll bother experimenting anymore with these.

Just in case you wondered, here's the recipe:

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 2 cups persimmon pulp
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/3 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

1. 
   
   1. Cream butter and sugar together; add persimmon pulp, buttermilk and eggs.2. Then add dry ingredients and mix well.3. Pour into 10x12 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
2. Sumac is a berry that grows on upright bushes. They're a beautiful, deep red. They taste very similar to lemons. The white ones are poisonous though so beware. I ground them in the mortar and pestle but all the seeds stayed intact and try as I might, I couldn't sift them all out so one or two got into the dish. I have since learned that you need to pulverize them in the food processor.

Salmon goes well with lemon so I sprinkled a bunch onto some salmon filets and cooked that...no other ingredients. The juices from the salmon made it look like a red sauce had been poured over it. Simple and not too bad.


So there are a couple things I've been doing with the foods I gathered in the fall. More to come.