As leaves fall off trees and the temperature drops, winter is here. While most trees lose their leaves in winter, persimmon trees bear ripe, sweet persimmons. Junior Zola Peltz and her family have persimmon trees in their backyard that bear rich persimmons every year. “My family and I pick persimmons and eat them every winter.” Her family grows Fuyu persimmons, her parents’ favorite, and they typically eat the fruit raw.

Have you ever eaten traditional Hanukkah food? Latkes are a popular Jewish food commonly served on Hanukkah. Sophomore Jake Gidney has fond memories of Latkes. “My Grandma and Great-Grandma use an old family recipe that originates from South Africa, and serve it at our annual Hanukkah party.” He enjoys eating it with applesauce and other traditional Jewish food like briskets and jelly donuts.

Chinese New Year is a holiday that originates in China and is celebrated worldwide. A longstanding tradition in Chinese New Year is making dumplings.

Freshman Ryan Kim celebrates Chinese New Year. “I enjoy making dumplings from scratch with my family every Chinese New Year. It is my favorite food, and I enjoy eating it with Korean rice cake soup.”