Wild Greens Salad With Persimmons and Hickory Nuts

Name: Wild Greens Salad With Persimmons and Hickory Nuts
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: ½ cup hickory nut or pecan pieces; Sea salt; Ground sumac; ½ cup diced fresh persimmon or 2 ounces dried persimmons (preferably the North American variety, which come into season in the late fall); 1 tablespoon cider vinegar; 1 teaspoon maple syrup; 8 cups/about 4 ounces loosely packed wild greens (see Tip for more options); ¼ cup (or more, to taste) mountain mint or any tender, bright green mint, leaves torn; 2 tablespoons thinly sliced white parts of ramps, wild onion or scallion; 2 tablespoons sunflower oil or other neutral oil

Recipe from Sean Sherman

Adapted by Korsha Wilson

Published Nov. 7, 2025

Wild Greens Salad With Persimmons and Hickory Nuts — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 15 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Rating: 5(28)
Comments: Read comments

Tender greens make up the base of this bright, simple yet texturally complex salad adapted from “Turtle Island” (Clarkson Potter, 2025) by Sean Sherman. The chef created it to highlight seasonal foraging in North America. While wild dandelion greens or chickweed provide the full effect, mixed greens or even arugula also work, providing a peppery bite against the honeyed persimmon fruit. Great on its own, this salad can also be served alongside a hearty, braised main dish like Mr. Sherman’s bison pot roast with hominy. —Korsha Wilson

Featured in: A New Native American Cookbook Urges You to Look Nearby

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

½ cup hickory nut or pecan pieces
Sea salt
Ground sumac
½ cup diced fresh persimmon or 2 ounces dried persimmons (preferably the North American variety, which come into season in the late fall)
1tablespoon cider vinegar
1teaspoon maple syrup
8cups/about 4 ounces loosely packed wild greens (see Tip for more options)
¼ cup (or more, to taste) mountain mint or any tender, bright green mint, leaves torn
2tablespoons thinly sliced white parts of ramps, wild onion or scallion
2tablespoons sunflower oil or other neutral oil

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Spread the nuts in a large skillet in a single layer. Toast over medium heat for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until fragrant. Transfer to a plate and season with salt and sumac.
Step 2
If you’re using dried persimmons, bring a small saucepan of water to a boil. Add the persimmons and remove the pot from the heat. Let persimmons stand for about 10 minutes to rehydrate, then drain before cutting them into bite-size pieces.
Step 3
In a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar and maple syrup. Add the wild greens, mint and ramps. Drizzle in the oil while tossing to coat the greens evenly, then add the nuts and persimmons and toss again. Taste and season with salt. Serve right away.

Tip

In the spring, look for dandelion, plantain, chickweed and sochan. In the summer or fall, look for purslane, lamb’s quarters or plantain. While this salad celebrates foraging, it is delicious with even just arugula or mixed greens.

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Ratings

5 out of 5

28 user ratings

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Comments

Deb2 weeks ago

@Atje “They paved paradise and put in a parking lot.” Said a very wise woman songwriter decades ago.

Atje3 weeks ago

I'm definitely going to try this- I love persimmons. I'm 48 and live in metro ATL. When I was a kid we just went into a stand of trees in unused lots and picked our own persimmons/plums/berries depending on the season. Where did all of those trees go? I didn't see persimmons in person again until I moved to the Netherlands (where we foraged for our own hazelnuts growing in a vacant lot:) I'm seriously asking: were they victims of pesticides or some such?

Delicious3 weeks ago

@Atje come to California! A neighbor just gifted me two giant bags of them because squirrels had nibbled them - I’m more than happy to work around the squirrel bites. But I think the empty lots are gone, sadly.

RobertaKH1 week ago

This was delicious! A perfect fall salad!

Glenn3 weeks ago

Those are pecans in the photo of the salad.

Steve3 weeks ago

So where do we find hickory nuts?

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