Savvy Indiana foragers know when fall rolls around, it’s time to start hitting up connections and sources for fresh persimmons, the dusky orange sweet-tart fruit beloved by generations of Hoosier home cooks. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of harvesting, cleaning, and straining them yourself (lore dictates they’re only good to eat after they turn squishy and drop off the tree), you may able to find pints of processed persimmon pulp at Indiana orchards, markets, and farm stands if you look hard enough.
The southern Indiana town of Mitchell celebrates the humble little fruit in a big way with an annual week-long Persimmon Festival that traditionally takes place during the last full weekend of September. Longtime teacher George Bishop created the event back in 1947 as a homecoming of sorts. Now in its 77th year, the 2024 festivities run from Sept. 21 to 28, bringing downtown Mitchell to life with parades, musical performances, vendor booths, exhibitions, and carnival rides.
The centerpiece of the whole party is the persimmon pudding contest, where local bakers submit their best recipes to vie for first-prize honors. The homey dessert tastes like a cross between dense dark gingerbread and pumpkin pie filling, often topped with whipped cream. Local families who whip it up year after year usually rely on recipes that have been passed down for generations.
Want to get a taste? The Millstone Dining Room at Spring Mill State Park Inn keeps persimmon pudding on its dessert menu year-round. Huckleberry Bakery in Mitchell also serves up delicious persimmon-based treats such as their signature persimmon mounds and slushies. And the fruit also finds its way into other offerings throughout the festival — persimmon ice cream, anyone? Yum!
For a full schedule of events and more information about the Mitchell Persimmon Festival sponsored by the Mitchell Chamber of Commerce, go to persimmonfestival.org.
