Henny Penny Farmette

On the Henny Penny Farmette, the signs of autumn’s arrival are evident almost everywhere in our orchard and garden.

Lavender and sunflowers still bloom but the summer vegetable garden has run its course

I’ve made jams, cooked produce, and dried fruit. Of late, I’ve been harvesting heirloom seeds for next year’s garden. The birds will pick over what’s left and the soil can rest. Fall fruit now hangs on the trees in a showy splendor.

The pomegranate trees support a multitude of leathery-skinned, ruby-red fruit holding hundreds of sweet seeds. On the Fuyu and Hachiya persimmon trees, the golden fruits hang like ornaments. In the squash patch, French sugar pumpkins cling to dry, stringlike vines and you might find a butternut squash here or there.

We’ve harvested some pumpkins and heirloom butternut squash symbolize the arrival of autumn

I picked most of the late summer pears two weeks ago, putting a few in paper bags and storing them in a cabinet for two days. That allows them to reach the perfect ripeness for eating them fresh.

We grew corn this year, but the triple-digit heat and smoke from wildfires turned the lush, tall green plants to papery stalks before the corn really ripened. Still, before the stalks can now be composted, a few can be bundled together and placed in a porch corner to symbolize the arrival of Autumn and her festivals.

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Gorgeous fruit adorns the tree like a hanging garnet

The pomegranates are turning from green to a deep red as they should be. It’s the middle of September after all. Some have split open, exposing the red seeds inside the fruits. My neighbor says it’s because of uneven watering. These trees don’t need much water and, I admit, I’ve been lax about running the hose on them.

The seeds are luscious, bursting with sweet-tart flavors. Eat the seeds raw or toss them into a citrus salad with fresh greens, oranges, sweet grapefruit sections, kiwi slices, tangerine sections, crunchy apple and pear slices, and sugared pecans.

French sugar pumpkin are small but perfect for pies

While I wait for tomatoes (yes, an old heirloom variety of tomatoes with lots of vines that ripen late season) and the French pumpkins to ripen, I’ve noticed that the persimmons have turned a bright orange, but are still quite firm to the touch.

I planted hachyia persimmons instead of fuyu simply because I like them better. The fuyu persimmons are like small, flat apples. They are crunchy and perfect in salads. The hachyia variety can be eaten fresh or incorporated into baked goods.

Hachiya persimmons, jelly soft ripe

If not completely ripened, the hachiya are tart–mouth-puckeringly so. But when they are ripened to perfection, they become soft and sensual like custard. To me, there’s nothing  quite like those fruits.

Hasten the ripening of both fuyu and hachyia persimmons in the kitchen in a paper bag. Always look for bright glossy color and a heavy weight to the fruit when selecting fruit to eat or bake.

The hachyia variety adds a pumpkinlike flavor to bake goods as well as additional moisture. The hachyia has earned the moniker of “the baking persimmon.” Try using them in cakes, puddings, breads, and cookies.

Think of pomegranates and persimmons as early autumns special treats. The pumpkins and apples will follow. Then for us Northern California gardeners, the work starts in earnest for preparing beds for our cool season gardens.