Of all the Thanksgiving food stories we received from Hoptown Chronicle readers, the one from Marty Terhune, of Hopkinsville, was by far the most unusual and entertaining. It’s a tale about persimmon pudding, a favorite dish from the family of Marty’s late husband, Dr. J. Nick Terhune, a Hopkinsville ophthalmologist. Here’s what Marty told us:
“My husband’s family — the Terhunes from Murray, Kentucky — was a large family. My husband, Dr. J. Nick Terhune, was the eldest of seven children. His father, Russell Terhune, was a piano professor at MSU and his mother, Margaret Dillon Terhune, was a librarian.
“They always had persimmon pudding every holiday and I used to know where I could get the fruit every fall. There were three trees at [University Heights Academy], two at the golf course, and one at my farm on U.S. 68 towards Fairview. The three at UHA have been found by the deer. The one at my farm was the victim of widening of U.S. 68.
“Nobody likes the pudding; but if you put enough whipped cream on it, it becomes palatable. I have bought two persimmon trees. One is in my back yard. One is at the foot of my husband’s grave at Riverside Cemetery.
“… after three years, when the tree [at the cemetery] had survived the sapling stage, the cemetery informed me that the tree was planted 6 inches too far. So I could either move the tree or buy more plots. So that is how I came to own eight plots at Riverside. Neither of these two trees has EVER produced fruit. I buy the pulp from a farm in Indiana.”
Persimmon Pudding
INGREDIENTS
- 1 quart of Persimmon pulp (persimmons should be washed and run through a Foley Food Mill or sieve)
- 2 eggs slightly beaten
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 cup milk (add a little at a time to mix well)
- 1 tbsp butter
- Speck of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
- Bake in an oven at 300 degrees for 2 or 3 hours until it becomes thick and dark.
- Stir from the bottom of the pudding and mix well.
This recipe stores well and may be frozen ahead of time for several days or weeks.
*Originally published in the Murray Woman’s Club Cookbook, 1967
