packages in the mail

collecting the mail this time of year sure is fun. like yesterday, when we received a box from a friend in california marked "urgent" "open immediately" "perishable." wasting no time, we tore open the package and inside were the freshest, most gorgeous persimmons we've ever seen and a cute note "picked with permission from a neighbor's tree." persimmon windfall. really yummy, peeled and sliced raw, as a snack with maybe some japanese rice crackers and a cup of green tea, or in salads, (like this one here), or with yogurt and honey for breakfast, baked in bread, stewed into compote. thank you wonderful friend from california.