Getting ready for the harvest

Fall seems an odd time to harvest honey or indeed any edible farm product, such as persimmon. However, there are reasons for doing so, at least for us. The American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana or D. virginiana) is ripe only in the fall, usually after the first frost. D. virginiana is an astringent variety of persimmon, so it is only suitable to eat after it turns orange AND is soft to the…