Persimmon Lady’s 2019-20 Winter Forecast
The forecast is finally here! What do the Persimmon Lady's persimmon seeds say about the winter weather ahead? Find out!
2020 Update: As of 9/24/20 We’re still waiting for the fruit to ripen so The Persimmon Lady can read the seeds. Stay tuned right here!
It’s that time of year again when we check in with Melissa Bunker— a.k.a., “The Persimmon Lady”—of central North Carolina, who sends us her winter predictions based on the persimmon seeds she opens from her locally grown orchard. Last year, her persimmon trees were destroyed by Hurricane Florence. But this year she’s planted new trees and while the fruits were slow to ripen, the forecast is finally here!
Read What the Heck is a Persimmon?
The 2019-20 Persimmon Seed Forecast
According to folklore, if you crack open a persimmon seed from a ripe fruit and look at the shape inside (called a cotyledon), it can forecast the winter weather:
Fork shape = winter will be mild;
Spoon shape = there will be a lot of snow;
Knife shape = winter will be bitingly cold that “cuts like a knife.”
So what do this year’s seeds say about the upcoming winter?
Here’s what Melissa found:
The reading is finally ready. Looks like a nice mild start to winter. However, it won’t last long. The fruit dropped really early and the seeds didn’t have time to mature for a reading. That means winter will come quick.
The heavily red fruit shows me there’s lots of sugars for the wildlife so that portents a hard winter.
This year’s seeds (2019-20) revealed the following: 3 forks, 3 spoons, and 2 knives. Translation: a mild start to winter followed closely by lots of precipitation (rain and snow) and a few ice events late winter.
How does Melissa’s forecast compare with the Almanac’s “Polar Coaster” forecast? Take a look.
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
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Farmers' Almanac Staffhttps://www.farmersalmanac.com/author/fa-admin
Can you read Fugitive persimmons?
What was the weather in 2019. And was the Farmer’s Almanac correct.
my persimmon seeds said it is going there is going to be a lot of snow this winter
We just cut seeds from a local tree here in Kansas City 9/24/20. Of 26 fruits found on ground only came up with 18 mature seeds. We always cut 10 as a means of getting a good average. This year’s predictions 5 spoons, 1 fork, 4 knives. Snowy and cold. Thanks, Ed the persimmon guy.
You can count the spoons in a Persimmon
But only God can count the Persimmons
in a spoon!
(This is suppose to be used for the Apple,
but oh well….)
My tree had more fruit than normal. Is there any significance to that?
Hi Parker22, not other than it’s healthy and the weather conditions were spot on this year. If you find that they’re dropping fruit early, it’s really a ‘survival of the fittest’ to make way for the best fruit to form and ripen.