Branching out
Friday November 14th 2014, 12:19 am
Filed under: Garden

I love love love my new toy. Persimmons way up high, perfectly in reach, 5’5″ of me and 12′ of it: put the prongs over the fruit, pull gently, un-extend the thing back down and roll the persimmon gently into the waiting bag.

Actually, it took me a few stabs on some of them to get the prongs on that thing just so around those leaves as I teetered around with that unwieldiness. Still. I love love love that I can reach things and it got easy fast.

And I now know that, unlike down below, there are some way up there where they get more sun that are already tree-ripened and perfect and one of those was the single best persimmon I have ever tasted. (As I wiped my hands on the grass, wished for a towel for my face, and laughed at how undignified Hachiyas are.)

And I also found out that those are an impromptu way to out-redhead Lucille Ball.


8 Comments so far
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You can turn pro with that!

Comment by LynnM 11.14.14 @ 12:22 am

When you were young and we picked all those peaches and apples, we had two such pickers, but neither had an expandable handle.

If you are picking delicate fruit, it helps to put a small piece of foam rubber (plastic) inside the cage at the bottom to soften the fall when the fruit is pulled off.

Comment by Dad 11.14.14 @ 9:56 am

Actually, it has foam rubber padding, it’s just not in the picture because I washed the fruit splat off it separately from the handle.

Comment by AlisonH 11.14.14 @ 10:22 am

What fun! I’m glad you are enjoying sun-ripened treats.

Comment by Channon 11.14.14 @ 6:27 pm

Oh, and that is what I wanted to tell you about. There’s a house I have recently been driving past that has an interesting yard. There’s cactus all over the garden, which seems a little strange in northern VA. And little trees. And this week I noticed that those little trees have fruits on them that have turned orange. I really think they’re persimmons. I had no idea they could grow in this climate. But the lady hasn’t been out there picking them. I see her sometimes weeding the garden (which is pretty much the entire yard) or walking around but I’ve not seen her picking the fruits. We’re having our first freeze tonight (it’s 31 F right now) so maybe they needed that for sweetening or something? Her trees are really lovely little things. I’m not sure they need a 12 foot picker, though. I don’t think they’re that tall. But there’s nowhere to park and go talk to her and I’m not thinking about driving into her driveway to ask about them. (Sorry for wordiness.)

Comment by Susan (sjanova) 11.14.14 @ 6:31 pm

Well…I don’t care. Bit for persimmons, but I could sure use that toy come plum season. 🙂

Comment by Ruth 11.15.14 @ 12:39 am

Streaks of orange and red in one’s hair is quite stylish these days, you know!

Comment by twinsetellen 11.15.14 @ 9:39 am

Pro tip: If you’re like me and you inevitably leave your fruit picker out in the rain over the winter so the foam pad gets gross, you can substitute a folded dish towel. Happy fruit picking!

Comment by Virginia 11.16.14 @ 12:36 am



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