"The persimmons are ripe ... yeah, it's 'possum eatin' season!" Dad's words announced every year after the first frost.
I still remember the first time I sat down to 'possum, sweet taters and big pone of greasy, crackling cornbread. All Dad said was: "Don’t turn up your nose at what God put here for us to eat."
After frost wait about 2 weeks and then get a 'possum out of a persimmon tree. He will be rolling fat and won’t have been eating on carrion. When persimmons are ripe that is all a 'possum will eat until they are all gone.
Skin the 'possum and remove every speck of fat from the carcass. Wash him good with vinegar and then put him in a large pot to soak in salt water. The salt water should be made up of 1 gallon of water to which a cup of salt and a tablespoon of soda have been added. Soak overnight.
Place the 'possum in a baking dish surrounded with sweet taters that have been peeled and rubbed with lightly salted butter. (Fresh churned) Put a cup of water in the baking dish and then place in a slow oven. When the odor fills the house to the point where your mouths begins watering, open the oven and baste the 'possum with the drippings. When the possum is golden brown and the drippings turn gooey because the water has cooked out, he is ready to eat.
Serve with a big pone of cracklin' cornbread. Cracklings from fresh killed hogs make the best cornbread.