How many persimmons should I pick? - Niloufar Salimi
How many persimmons should I pick? - Niloufar Salimi
10 x 16 inches, watercolour on paper, 2022
My grandmother’s garden had two fruit trees, a persimmon tree just next to the house, and at the other side of the garden, an old SHAH-TOOT tree that bore a fruit that was something between a mulberry and a blackberry. In the summer, her grandchildren used to climb the SHAH-TOOT tree, sit on a strong branch, and eat as many berries as possible. We kept old outfits at her house for SHAH-TOOT picking because the berries stained our skin and clothes. In the fall we had persimmons.
There was a large, square-shaped, tiled balcony on the second floor, where we could reach the top of the persimmon tree. The fruits there were usually ripe first. Every time, excitedly, we asked, “how many persimmons should we pick?” And every time, out loud, grandma counted our number, one persimmon for each grandchild.
There is a strangely common taste to both persimmon and SHAH-TOOT. A subtle, complex and pungent taste that becomes sweet once you swallow the first bite.
These trees connected us to the soil and provided us with some of the most meaningful times of our childhood. They were the place of our banquet.