What’s in Season: Pomegranates
Pomegranates - An Ancient Fruit Of Lore
Pomegranate – an ancient fruit, steeped in symbolism, interwoven in mythic legends and an integral part of the desert’s life blood. This fruit is a power punch of antioxidants! They are filled with electrolytes and in November and December they are ready to harvest and enjoy. Additionally, these shrubby-chiq trees grow phenomenally well in our hot desert climate (zones 7-11) and are a gorgeous addition to any edible landscape.
Grow Your Poms
The pomegranate tree is deciduous - shedding leaves after the first frost and reemerging in spring with brilliant green leaves and red blooms that attract beneficial pollinators such as hummingbirds and bees. During summer, the showy flowers transform into brilliant bright red orbs, decorating the tree like ornaments. The season to harvest ripe fruit is brief – November to the beginning of December. After harvest, the leaves turn yellow and fall, and the once wild-leaved tree becomes a prong of twigs and branches - hibernating and storing energy through the colder months.
Buy Your Poms
Find your pomegranate trees from local Arizona nurseries instead of the large home improvement stores for a stronger plant ready for the desert climate. The best time to plant is spring time – late January through April.
You can buy your pomegranate tree from:
Urban Farm - pre-order now to pick up in the Phoenix area in January
Agave Farms - has the Wonderful variety
Abby Lee Farms - occasionally has small trees for $20 or less!
Rialto Nursery - keeping Tucson beautiful
Verde River Growers - really amazing nursery in the Cottonwood/Verde Valley area
In November, pomegranates can also be found at Farmers Markets and grocery stores:
Phoenix Uptown Farmers Market - Wong’s Family Farm has red and pink pomegranates
Heirloom Farmers Markets in Tucson have pomegranates in abundance
Baez International Market has huge pomegranates at all three of their locations at a great price
Photo courtesy of Arjun Kapoor
Eating Pomegranates
We’ve experimented with all the ways of getting those succulent seeds from the skin. We found that the best way to deseed a pom is to cut off the top to reveal the fruit and sections below. Score the outside skin along the section lines, pull apart the sections as you might an orange, and the little seeds will release.
Martha Stewart might have you believe that the best way to remove the juicy jewel seeds from the pomegranate is to cut it in half, position over a bowl and swat it repeatedly with a wooden spoon. It feels so good to say “Martha Stewart is wrong!”
Recipe: Chef Silvana’s Signature Guacamole
Originally printed in Edible Magazine May 9, 2017
Photo by Jill Richards, Edible Magazine
Ingredients:
1 medium-ripe Hass avocado, cubed
1 Tablespoon each of finely diced onion, tomato, cilantro, jalapeno pepper
Juice of one lime
Salt and pepper, to taste
Seeds from half of one pomegranate
Chips for enjoying
Mix all the ingredients and gently stir in the pomegranate seeds. Enjoy immediately with chips.
Order Chef Silvana’s famous guacamole at Barrio Cafe. Pick up to go and don’t miss out on the cochinita pibil either.
Once you have your small seeds out of the skin, juicing is easy…just pop the seeds in your blender, pulse, and strain. Voila - you have pomegranate juice!
Recipe: Pomegranate Molasses
A staple in Turkish cuisine and delicious on just about anything!
Ingredients:
4 cups of pomegranate juice (about 20 poms juiced)
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons of lemon juice
Heat in a pot on medium high heat until the mix is simmering. Lower the heat until the mix is just simmering for about an hour or so. Reduce to 1¼ cup of molasses. Store in the refrigerator and break out for special occasions or jar for a very special gift.
What to Do With a Bounty of Pomegranates
If you have a pomegranate tree, you will have a bounty to enjoy. The harvest season is short, so we’ve pulled together these tips on what you can do with the bounty from your tree or the goodies found at Farmers Market:
Photo by Ojashri Basnyat
Tasty Topping
Pomegranate seeds are a fantastic topper! We like it on oatmeal and Culture Clash yogurt.
Refresh Yourself
Pomegranate refreshers are super fancy and delicious - Crushed ice, pomegranate seeds, sparkling water, squeeze of lemon, and drizzle of pomegranate molasses (optional).
Vinaigrette
Using the juice in a vinaigrette is an easy seasonal dressing for your salads. 1/4 cup pomegranate juice, 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/2 cup Olive Oil. Add to jar with a lid and shake. This vinaigrette is especially good over salads with watermelon radishes and cucumber.
4. Eat Them
Pomegranates seem to be the most magical fruit with a wealth of health benefits! Poms are high in antioxidants, vitamins C & K, potassium, folate, and even protein. They help with reducing inflammation, lowering high blood pressure, fighting certain types of cancer, can improve memory, and so much more.
True, the juices from the seeds can stain a bit, but these little gems are worth it—and right now, we all deserve the sweet goodness of a magical fruit.
Call for Recipes!
We’ve put out the call for recipes, but everyone has been too shy to submit any…but we know you’re cooking! Share some of your best recipes and photos with us before November 15 and help us wrap up this totally weird 2020 by showcasing your successes and creativity! Drop us an email at tanya@localfirstaz.com or contact us below!