Pomegranates have earn a reputation as a nutritional powerhouse , but they are n’t precisely the easiest fruit to sow or prepare .
With a gustatory modality of acerbity combined with a sugared undertone , pomegranate remind me of cherries or cranberry . They literally erupt with flavor .
But to fully enjoy these unique treats , you need to know how to good seed and prep them . If you ca n’t corrode them all , do it how to store them is vital . quick to take more ?
A Bit About Pomegranates
Pomegranates are one of the world ’s oldest train fruits . Thought to have originated in Persia , they were taken to the Mediterranean , Africa , Afghanistan , and China , gaining in popularity along the means .
Introduced by Spanish missionaries to California in 1769 , they now acquire 90 pct of the United States ’ pomegranates .
Pomegranate is chivalric Latin , meaning orchard apple tree of many grains . If you ’re conversant with Punica granatum , you ’ll know that it ’s a perfect description of this wonderfully flavourous , juicy fruit .
Speaking of cereal , those little juicy small-arm inside the yield are known asarils . Each aril has a semen inwardly . That ironical , off - white-hot bit inside the yield that holds the aril is lie with as the tissue layer .
dissimilar sort of pomegranate tree may have smaller or thicker membranes , and the arils may be big and juicy with a tiny source , or they might be pocket-sized with a large source .
There are plenty of pomegranate varieties that you could grow or happen at your local grocer , though you harvest and store them all the same .
‘ sweetened ’ is my favourite variety because it ’s sweet , as the name suggests . The skin is pink or lite red , antecede by endearing fuzz - red blossoms .
‘ Granada ’ is medium in size with mystifying crimson pelt . The aril are odorous and voluptuous without being overly syrupy . This is one of the most vulgar commercial-grade pomegranate varieties rise in California .
‘ Early marvelous ’ is red - skinned and big , it can be a little tart . ‘ Balegal ’ is pale - skinned with bombastic yield that gets about four in in diam . It has a endearing , fresh flavor .
‘ Crab ’ has medium to large yield that can be a nice symmetricalness of sweet and lemonlike . The pelt is bronze , and the arils are rich reddish .
‘ Utah sweetened , ’ also lie with as ‘ Dixie sweet , ’ produces pretty pink flowers . The fruit is sweet , and the seeds are quite soft .
If you desire to memorize more about growing Punica granatum , gibe out ourgrowing guide .
Harvesting and Choosing Pomegranate
If you have your own pomegranate tree diagram ( or access to one ) , then you need to know exactly how to reap your fruits before you could sow them .
beak pomegranate when it is fully red and slimly soft to the trace . It takes about six to seven months from anthesis until it ’s prison term to nibble the fruit , so be patient .
As pomegranates ripen , the skin can crock up . tick your tree often and draw any cracked fruit . exhaust those right away because they do n’t lay in well .
Pomegranates do n’t ripen off the tree as some other fruit do , so you want to wait until they are completely ripe to extract them .
reduce the pomegranate tree off using a pair of clipper , rather than pull or twisting . reduce close to the arm , so the whole stem turn comes with the fruit .
If you ’re getting your fruit at the grocery storehouse , you need to know what to depend for .
yield that have crinkle skin are dry out inside . Avoid those . pluck a Punica granatum that is plump and feels heavy in your hand . It should give slightly but should n’t feel soft or mushy .
Brown spots can show ageing or it could be a bruise . Avoid those , as well .
Getting the Pomegranate Seeds (Arils) Out
Once you ’ve gotten them off the tree or bought a bunch at the foodstuff store or market , it ’s clip for the real challenge : how do you sow a Punica granatum ? !
Method One
The first method acting is mussy , but it ’s a fun way to snack on the fruits instead of popcorn or chips while watching a movie .
Make a modest notch in the radical of the yield and pull the fruit aside . This give away the aril segments inside .
The fruit run to separate course at the segments between the membranes .
Pick out the seeds individually and toss off them in your sassing one at a prison term .
You ’ll need to continue peeling and pulling as you go , and you ’ll probably squirt juice here and there along the way , so keep a moist towel handy to wipe your hands .
Like I say , it ’s messy , but it ’s a peachy snacking option .
Method Two
The second room is more coarse . Simply slice the fruit in one-half or quarters to expose the arils . Then , gently tease them out with your hands and into a stadium .
you could also hold one one-half over a bowl make full with water and rap the back of the fruit with a wooden spoonful until all the seeds devolve out . You credibly wo n’t get everything out , but most of the aril will hang .
Then , sieve the clobber off the top of the body of water with a slotted spoon , which is where the tissue layer and other barren will blow . Pour out the urine and debilitate the arils .
The problem with this method is that you end up slice up through some of the pomegranate cum , so it ’s wasteful ( but quick ) . You also make a bit of a mess , with seeds and juice vaporize everywhere .
Plus , you contuse the seeds if they ’re nice and mature .
Method Three
Finally , there is the method the pros use .
Slice off the top of the fruit using a sharp knife . When looking down at the fruit , you ’ll see that the tissue layer create six little sections inside the fruit . Score the tegument at the point of each tissue layer .
The goal is to cut back through the skin and into the membrane , but not all the way through the yield .
Pull out each section and peel away any stay membrane . Sometimes it ’s wanton to force the yield in one-half and then divide it further .
Turn each section inside out over a bowl , push the meat of each plane section out and extract the end in towards you . Some of the ejaculate will strike out , but you ’ll take to advance the others by scratch them .
When you ’re done , you ’ll have a marvelous bowl full of little red jewels quick to eat .
Whatever method acting you choose , remember that pomegranate succus will stain . Do n’t sow your pomegranate anywhere skinny carpets , rugs , or while wearing wearing apparel that you do n’t require to risk getting stain .
Eating Pomegranates
Now for the good part ! After you pick and seed your pomegranate , it ’s prison term to dig in .
Obviously , you may eat the seeds bare-ass . quite a little of multitude also care to add up them to yogurt , shabu ointment , salad , or desserts .
But do n’t be afraid to get creative . Pomegranate semen are utter for savory dishes . discard them with Brussels sprouts in olive petroleum and bake in the oven .
They ’re also incredible added as a topping to pizza or flatbread . Next clock time you make a lamb bag , top it with some pomegranate seeds . The two complement each other perfectly .
If it ’s the juice you ’re after , put all the seeds in a energy - top bag and seethe a rolled pin or pound with a meat tenderizer to relinquish all the juice .
Strain out the leftover seeds through a strainer .
If you have an unbruised , uncracked pomegranate , you may slit it in half and squeeze it in a handjuicer , as well .
Storing Pomegranates
For a fruit , pomegranates store a good long while after harvest . They ’re interchangeable in computer storage capacity to apples .
As a bonus , the fruits tend to get juicier in computer memory , though you do n’t want to wait too long .
stay them in a refrigerator or cold storage for up to seven calendar month , give consistent temperature between 32 - 41 ° degree Fahrenheit and low humidity . If temporary fluctuate ( as they be given to do when you open and close up a refrigerator ) , wait them to last nearer to three month .
For those areas that have high humidness , they ’ll stash away a month or two .
Once the skin starts bend brownish or wrinkle , it ’s time to use up them !
If you ’ve seeded your fruits , the arils stock in the fridge for up to a workweek . you may also freeze out them for up to a yr .
To freeze , place them in a zip - top bag and entreat out all the atmosphere . Then , place them in the freezer where they wo n’t get suppress as they inure .
The juice can put in in the refrigerator for up to five days .
Do n’t lay in the juice or arils in a metal container . The yield is acidic and it will react to the metal .
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