Q. I have a question -- or maybe two. I just moved here from Maine and rented a rather old house that has what are to me some strange trees. The one that in particular fascinates me is a tree that is full of beautiful-looking orange fruit shaped something like a pear but a little fatter. Notice I said beautiful "looking" and not beautiful "tasting" -- if there is such a thing. This tree has no leaves -- I think they must have fallen off before I got here -- but it was full of fruit, so I thought I would try one. Big mistake. At the first bite my mouth puckered up so bad I could hardly spit it out. What kind of a cruel joke is this? What is this tree? -- Jane

A. Oh, Jane, I am so sorry that your introduction to Southern California homegrown fruit was such a disappointment. What you have growing is a persimmon tree, and the reason it tasted as it did was that it was not ripe. It is a hachiya persimmon, which is very astringent until it fully ripens, and then is incredibly sweet. This variety of persimmon is not fully ripe until it is very soft -- at almost a puddinglike consistency.

You can pick them now and let them ripen in the house at room temperature, or if you want to share with the birds, leave them to ripen on the tree.

This often-maligned fruit has some very nice qualities about it. The fresh pulp makes an excellent spread for toast; just cut off the top and scoop it out and use as is, no sugar necessary. They will keep in the refrigerator for about a month. If you freeze them, they will last from six to eight months and be soft and ready to eat when they thaw. They also make excellent jams and jellies, and if dried can be stored for very long periods of time. Maybe you can turn a "cruel joke" into a sweet surprise by sending your friends back in Maine a box of dried persimmons for Christmas.

Q. Tomatoes again -- what am I doing wrong? Every year I plant them (rotating the area) adding "good stuff" to the dirt and fertilize with a good fertilizer. My soil was clay 30 years ago, but we've added all kinds of compost, manure, etc., since then. No matter what I do, the tomatoes never reach the size on the label, rarely taste like "real" tomatoes, and no matter whether they are the red, yellow or "old-fashioned" kind, always have a thick, tough skin. I can grow yellow pear tomatoes like crazy, but not the slicing kind. How do I fix this problem?-- Thanks, Connie

A. It could be a lot of things, Connie. If you are adding compost, manure and some other "good fertilizer," the problem might be too much of a good thing or, rather, too many good things -- overfertilizing. If you are getting a lot of green growth and not much fruit, it could be too much nitrogen and/or too much or inconsistent water. Is there room for the air to circulate? Are the leaves too thick? Is the sun getting to the fruit? These are all things to consider. If all of these seem to be right, you might try using Tomatoes Alive, an organic fertilizer formulated especially for tomatoes and available from www.gardensalive.com.

Rose Crawford is a freelance writer in Vista. She answers your garden questions every other week. E-mail to askrose@cox.net or write to "Ask Rose," c/o Features Dept., North County Times, 207 E. Pennsylvania Ave., Escondido, CA 92025.