Winter and the Persimmon Seed
One more comment on Mother Nature and what winter holds. In a supermarket near you, you should find a persimmon fruit. If you cut it open a seed may be another clue to winter weather. According to old-timers, persimmon seeds can be used to predict the severity of winter weather. When cut into two pieces, the persimmon seed will display on of three symbols. A knife shape will indicate a cold icy winter (where wind will cut through you like a knife). A fork shape indicates a mild winter. A spoon shape stands for a shovel to dig out the snow.
If you do open a seed, let me know where you are located and how the seed reads.
You know how everything is “bigger” and presumably better in Texas, well that may be true. One of the signs of a heard winter is the size and frequency of spider webs. In this morning’s paper an AP article captured the fact that entomologists are looking into the discovery of a sprawling spider web that covers a number of trees and measures 200 yards. Yikes. Located in Wells Point (Texas), it is so large that one person is quoted as saying “”Now it is filled with so many mosquitoes, that it has turned a little brown. There are times you can literally hear the screech of millions of mosquitoes caught in the webs.” Experts are saying the web may be constructed by “social cobweb spiders”. I don’t know but if I lived in Texas, I’d dust off my shovel.
Labor Day – this holiday was first celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882 in New York City. The originator of the celebration was the Central Labor Union. The first Labor Day holidays were celebrated with grand parades, picnics and sometimes fireworks. Today, labor Day is celebrated in many different ways but is still suppose to be a day set aside to appreciate the advancements, freedoms and prosperity our country experiences, thanks to the hardworking people who make up this country. With family and friends, have a memorable Labor Day Weekend! Stay safe.
Peter Geiger
Peter Geiger is the Editor of the Farmers' Almanac. Read his full biography.
16 Sep 24, unambiguous spoon west central Missouri
Mines a spoon in Wagoner Oklahoma
Uh oh! Looks like someone will be doing some shoveling!:) Are you looking forward to snow?
Just opened one in Idabel Oklahoma with a spoon!
so far a knife, also from Pawhuska, Oklahoma
Live in Pawhuska Ok. Mine is knife
East Texas spoon
I live in eastern Kentucky and mine here at home shows a knife.
I opened four of then and everyone was a spoon Monticello Arkansas
We opened one today. We got a spoon. Central part of Mississippi
I opened a persimmon seed this morning and got a spoon in the Arkansas river valley
Open a persimmon today it was a spoon Maydelle Texas
opened the persimmon seed in northeast Texas and it was a spoon
Oh! Jan, send us a picture to [email protected], attn: Susan – We’d love to see it!
Wow! Looks like they’ve been pretty accurate so far…we opened 3 spoons and 2 knives and sure enough it’s 2 degrees outside and we’ve got a ton of snow!! Heavener, OK
kenny 12 26 09 cut 5 had 6 spoons in liberty nc
Looks like snow for northern Pope County, AR!! We don’t need another ice storm!
Ozarks of Missouri out of 15 seeds I have 8 knives and 7 spoons
all spoons…norman oklahoma
IN SEPT. I HAD MASSIVE BAG WORM WEBS COVER MY PERSIMMIN TREES. IN OCTOBER WHEN THE FRUIT FELL I FOUND THAT NONE OF THEM HAD ANY SEEDS AT ALL. HELP! DOES ANYONE KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS ESP. FOR THE WINTER WEATHER AHEAD. THANKS, TOM
All spoons in Bonnerdale AR… After 3 seeds and two cut thumbs… Yippy for snow..
All Spoons in MOLENA GA…..Come on snow!!!!!!!!!!!
Spoons in Purcell, OK!!!!
8 seeds in Crowder, MS and all were knives
11/27/09, cut open a persimmon today and got a spoon here in McLoud, Oklahoma. WOOOOOT!!!!
6 seeds all spoons here in hackett arkanas woo hoo
opened 6 seeds all spoons st.louis mo.
Tulsa, Oklahoma…All spoons here!!! Yeeehoooo!
we opened 8 seeds from different trees,all spoons.
now we can build lots of snowwomen
California, MO – We have a half dozen persimmon trees, I took from all trees and all the seeds showed spoons.
A friend opened one here at work in McAlester OK, a knife and a spoon.
A few months ago, I opened up two persimmon fruits. Both had many seeds in them. All together, I got about 11 seeds. Most were spoons, with a few knives. Maybe a fork or two at most. THEN I opened up another one a week or so ago, and it had a well defined spoon in it. Columbia, South Carolina needs a good snow. BRING IT ON!
Spoons in the big “metropolis” of Fay, Oklahoma (ha, ha)…. guess thats better than knives! 11/13/09
11-11-2009 Cut open three seeds and found all spoons. I live in Columbia, Tennessee, which is in southern middle Tenn.
Opened 10 just to get a good average. All were “Spoons”. Yipee …an Indiana White Winter.
Buck Bailey
Indianapolis, IN.
Muskogee Oklahoma, Spoon, I was looking forward to a White Winter!!!
opened three,all spoons from Murfreesboro,AR.
opened up one seed and had a knife. NE Texas…
Opened up 6 seeds and 1 thumb here in Hot springs Ar. All spoons!
We opened 7 seeds today in Fulton, MO-ALL were spoons! Bring on the sledding days!
Cut open a few seed from Southwest Missouri and they are definately all spoons.
I am in Kansas City Kansas in the heart of America, I opened 3 persimmons and each one had a spoon. I am not looking forward to shoveling snow, but I guess it is better than it beind bitterly cold.
we just cut 2 open & both were spoons. we’re in Tulsa, OK.
6 spoons in Magnolia, AR!
Cut open 6 persimmon seeds from 3-4 persimmons in Southeast Kansas-they were all spoons. Very clear spoons. My son Joshua went and picked these and opened them.
We’re in Rogers, AR. We opened two seeds, and had one spoon and one fork. As long as there weren’t any knives, I’m happy.
We opened a dozen or so and they were all SPOONS here in Northeast Texas! Woo hoo…we get to build a snowman finally!
Jefferson City Missouri – 5 spo0ns
Spoons in southeastern Illinois. Yuk!
We cut open 4 seeds, we saw 3 forks and 1 spoon.
10/28/2009 Spoons in Centerville, Texas
4 spoons in Quitman Texas. Bring on the snow!!!!