Asian persimmons. Shiny as if polished, that creamy bright orange, snappy as an apple. I love the vanilla sweetness you get when you bite in, the cool fruitiness. Persimmons are like pear's chill, sugar-dipped cousin. They've been getting some attention this season on the internets, but otherwise persimmons are mostly wall-flowers. An oddly forgotten earth-treat.

Our tree produced two big fist-sized fruits this Autumn, both of which I only even noticed hanging on the tree when they hit peak ripeness. Those I cut into and shared around raw. The persimmons in this shake, however, were the product of sneakiness. Which means this shake tasted wild, free, and reckless. I nicked the tiny fruits from a neighbors yard.

They were totally neglected, so I had to save them, you see. Each fruit was completely squishy, practically jam-on-a-tree, about 2 inches around each. They were going to fall off of the old scraggly branches -- half already had -- and become food for the earthworms. Logan and I plucked as many as we could before grouchy neighbor man could brandish fists or a rifle or some other object befitting an angry Southern backwoods type.

I packed them primly away and nestled them onto a refrigerator shelf, where they chilled until I could figure out a good reason to use them.

By the way, wild persimmons are mostly skin and giant seeds. So, 1/2 cup of squishy fruit results in 1/4 cup delicious persimmon goo. I would have been miffed about that if wild persimmons weren't so highly concentrated in flavor and sweetness.

I got the inspiration for this shake from Julie Lee. She posted a gorgeous instagram picture of a bright orange persimmon smoothie a couple of weeks ago.

Perfectly timed persimmon inspiration.

Persimmon Date Shake Recipe

Prep time: 5 mins - Total time: 5 mins - Serves: 2 servings

Notes: This shake is creamy, sweet, and thick. The persimmon flavor is relaxed. If you really love persimmon (and if you have a good amount of it on hand) feel free to add more. That will amp up the orange color and give the smoothie a fruitier body vs. the creamier character in the recipe.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup persimmon

• 2 large dates, pitted

• 1/4 cup frozen banana

• 1/2 cup yogurt (I used goat yogurt)

• 1/2 - 2/3 cup water (adjust depending on how thick you like it)

• 2 tbsp chia

• 3 tbsp almond butter

Method

1. In a blender, combine all ingredients until creamy.

2. Pour into your favorite glass. Garnish with a whole date.