Persimmon Winter Prediction

Observation of the land and a connection with nature has always offered the best guidance for our Blackberry team on where to grow, what to plant and how best to prepare for the upcoming seasons. One of our favorite Fall traditions is cutting into persimmon seeds to see what they predict for Winter weather at Blackberry.

Each year, our persimmon trees yield beautiful fruit that can be seen, and tasted, by those who wander through the Garden at Blackberry Farm, or sometimes enjoyed in a seasonal dish on the menu. Our persimmons have been falling from their branches, ready to be collected, and before they are delivered to the Preservation Kitchen, the Garden team grabbed a few to find the forecast waiting inside.

Will we see a snowy Winter? Are we in for frigid temperatures? Let’s see what the persimmons have to say. If you are participating at home, you’ll want to find locally-grown persimmons and be very careful when cutting into the seeds.

Cut the fruit in half and pull out the seeds. You can cut multiple seeds from the same fruit, or cut seeds from more than one persimmon to see if they match. Wipe the seeds with a cloth or towel to make them easier to hold still for cutting. You’ll want to stand the seed on its side, between your thumb and pointer finger, and hold it steady. Line your knife on the thin edge of the seed and begin to cut down to split the seed in half. Be very careful as the seeds are thin and can be slippery. Once the seed is split, look inside and observe what shape the white kernel is. Does it resemble a spoon, fork or knife shape?

If your kernel is spoon-shaped, legend says that you can expect shovels, or spoons, full of snow! It’s a white Winter in your forecast.

A fork-shaped kernel predicts that, while you may have some soft, light snow, you’ll experience a mild Winter season overall.

With a knife shape, you’re expected to have a frigid season with icy wind that will “cut like a knife.”

As we cut into our persimmon seeds at Blackberry Farm, each revealed a spoon-shaped kernel! If these predictions are correct, we’re in for a snow-filled Winter.