Persimmon Seed Weather Predictions
Folklore May Prove to Be Correct
Folklore gives us many weather indicators in nature. Wooly bear caterpillars are one. Supposedly, a wide russet band around the middle of the caterpillar means the winter will be mild, and a narrow russet band means harsh winter weather. Spiders and crickets moving into your house or barn are another indicator. The more of these crawling creatures you see indoors, the worse the upcoming winter weather will be.
Another weather predictor that seems to be reliable over the years is persimmon seeds. This refers to wild American persimmons, not the large Asian varieties you see in some stores and markets. Cut open wild persimmon seeds to reveal the shape in the white endosperm, the inner part of the seed that "feeds" the emerging seedling until the roots are developed. According to legend, the shape will be either a fork, knife or spoon. A fork means that the winter will be mild. A knife indicates a cold, cutting winter, and a spoon represents a scoop for heavy snowfall.
My persimmon seeds from this autumn's wild gathered persimmons (2010) show spoon after spoon after spoon. I kept looking for a fork, to no avail. You can see the images of a split persimmon seed that contains a spoon shape in this slide show.
TIP for splitting a persimmon seed: Persimmon seeds are very hard, and they are slippery. I carefully carve away one edge of the seed with a sharp paring knife, then grip the seed with needle-nose pliers. The tip of a sharp knife can be used to pry into the cut edge of the seed; push it in until the seed separates into two halves, keeping your fingers well away from the seed and the knife blade. DO NOT HOLD THE SEED WITH YOUR FINGERS. The "shape" that appears in the seed is actually the embryonic stem and cotyledon (leaf) structures in the seed. The structures DO differ from year to year, even when I gather the persimmons from the same trees. Hey, in my book, that's enough to cast some truth to the folklore!
Sources:
Personal Experience
Farmer's Almanac: http://www.farmersalmanac.com/weather/2008/10/14/persimmon-seeds-cold-winter-predicted/
Published by Fern Fischer
I keep busy with organic gardening and living green, including healthy cooking with garden goodies. I enjoy writing about all of these, but my special interest is quilting, vintage quilts and textiles and re... View profile
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13 Comments
Post a CommentWell looks like Central Indiana will be getting a big wet snow this year. Out of 11 seeds there was 7 spoons and 4 knives. Break out the shovels.....YAY!
I grew up eating persimmons, but never heard about the weather prediction or knew that there was "silverware" inside the seed! We have been "spooning" out a lot of snow this winter, as predicted.
weather predicting helped result in Choas Theeory - one of "Physics Foibles".
How intriguing.
Well, the things we learn at Associated..great article, Fernie.
Folklore is always interesting!
I will be consulting my persimmon! Thanks for all your wonderful and thoughtful comments, Fern.
What a fun article, Fern. And hey, with you and the Farmer's Almanac as references, you know it's right.
This is a clever and interesting article. And your slide show was very informative. I've never heard this folklore before but I'm dismayed to learn about it coupled with a bad prediction. Ugh, not another snowy winter like the last one!
I find it amazing how people are always trying to predict the future. Whether it be Punxatawney Phil or whatever. Hey, the scriptures hold out some information... What? They're telling me they don't read those. The only predictions that prove right 100% of the time. No, it's not surprising. Interesting piece, Fern. I've heard of many methodologies of prognostication, just not persimmon seeds!