GUESS WHAT WE FOUND? - MOMENTS LIKE THESE ARE A HUGE BLESSING

Oh the joy of patiently waiting and observing finally paying off!

Although we only purchased our land a few months back, we've been living nearby for almost two years now. During that time we have taken the opportunity to observe the land and do some preliminary research and work on it. Being able to see the land and plants and animals on it through the different seasons and conditions has been great.

Land can look a lot different in a dry spell compared to a torrential downpour, or in the middle of winter compared to the heat of summer. For instance, not being a local, I wouldn't know what kind of trees these were in the winter or early spring.

However, since ye shall know them by their fruits, there is no mistaking what kind of trees these are now!

MATURE AMERICAN PERSIMMON TREES

Thankfully, they were mature American Persimmon (Diospyros virginiana) trees! I hear that they can take anywhere from six to ten years to fruit, so finding some already bearing fruit is a huge blessing. Also, they are just a short walk from the house site!

As an added bonus, some of the fruit is even low enough for the Hive account@little-peppers to pick. Since we plan on growing a lot of our own food and even planting a food forest, it is important to keep in mind what useful or food bearing plants are already growing on the property.

We will continue to evaluate our resources and take note of what we find. When possible, we will be working trees like these in to the final plan for our land. Since they are already growing and producing, we have no need to plant a Persimmon tree right in this spot... though we do have 100 seedlings!

After harvesting two deer off of this property last hunting season and also finding Gooseberries, Blackberries, Rabbit Tobacco, Sassafras, Wood Sorrel, Yarrow, Persimmon and other wild things, I couldn't be more excited about the potential for the future.

Also, it is a huge blessing to be able to share my successes and failures with all of your, so that you can enjoy the ride too. I've already got a video recorded for my Plants on the Homestead series that features the American Persimmon tree, so stay tuned for that if you want to learn more about this great plant!