What are people gathering on Persimmon Tree Road in Bethesda?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Chestnuts?

There are no more chestnuts -- they were wiped out by some kind of blight.

There are a TON of chestnuts each fall in Lincoln Park. People gather them by the bucket load.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an enormous ginkgo in front of my house. I can't believe it, but people--mostly E Asians--collect those stinky fruits and cook with them. And I can attest that they are falling now.

Yep, I am a PP that stated my cousins did this. We are Asian. I have to say, I ate some of the nuts from it after it was cleaned and roasted, and they are actually really yummy. But, after I just read that WP article that someone just posted, I will advise my cousins against it. Too bad. They are quite tasty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have an enormous ginkgo in front of my house. I can't believe it, but people--mostly E Asians--collect those stinky fruits and cook with them. And I can attest that they are falling now.

I tried cooking them once and it created the most foul smell I have ever had in my kitchen or elsewhere. I'm an adventurous eater but -- puke.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ok, I want some of whatever they were gathering.

- eater of public park fruit

Be careful, just saw another link on dcum yesterday where a public park berry picker was heavily fined!

I know

[Anonymous]

This has got to be the most interesting dcum thread of 2015!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have an enormous ginkgo in front of my house. I can't believe it, but people--mostly E Asians--collect those stinky fruits and cook with them. And I can attest that they are falling now.

I tried cooking them once and it created the most foul smell I have ever had in my kitchen or elsewhere. I'm an adventurous eater but -- puke.

Yes, the flesh stinks to high heaven. But if you can get past that, the nut is actually yummy, but apparently, can also be toxic. My family and I have eaten them, but so far none of us have gotten sick. But, I have now warned them.

[Anonymous]

Why don't you just stop and ask them?

[Anonymous]

So what were they?

[Anonymous]

Could it be black walnuts? I'm collected those and spent an excruciating amount of energy extracting thr walnuts. They are delicious and valuable. I had a tree on my property and they only produce nuts every second year and have sought out other trees on off years.

[Anonymous]

Got to be gingko. My old street was lined with gingko trees, and we'd always see older ladies seemingly of asian descent in the fall to collect the berries. I had no idea you could cook them. They are so smelly!! Probably the only thing I don't miss about that street, actually.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you just stop and ask them?

Op here again. There is no good place to stop. There is no shoulder at all on Persimmon Tree Road and you would have to park in a neighborhood and walk a bit and I always have my kids with me. For the curious, the trees are not in a park, there are on a very wide grassy strip of land between the road and the fence beside someone's house, not a park.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Could it be black walnuts? I'm collected those and spent an excruciating amount of energy extracting thr walnuts. They are delicious and valuable. I had a tree on my property and they only produce nuts every second year and have sought out other trees on off years.

How are they valuable? You mean to sell, or saving yourself money you would spend on them at the store?

[Anonymous]

My very scientific guess would be chestnuts, too. Are they spiny little balls? My neighbors down the block have a chestnut tree and there are 2 Asian families who live nearby who come over to collect the chestnuts that have fallen to the ground.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Why don't you just stop and ask them?

Op here again. There is no good place to stop. There is no shoulder at all on Persimmon Tree Road and you would have to park in a neighborhood and walk a bit and I always have my kids with me. For the curious, the trees are not in a park, there are on a very wide grassy strip of land between the road and the fence beside someone's house, not a park.

What is the speed limit on Persimmon Tree Road? You should be able to identify the trees by sight. Walnut trees look different from chestnut trees look different from ginkgo trees. (Not to mention persimmon trees.)

[Anonymous]

Are there spikey looking shells left behind? Kind of like opened up tennis balls with spikes? Those are Chinese Chestnuts. There's a big Chinese Chestnut tree in front of the Cherrydale library. It's on the Arlington county notable tree list.