I have such fond memories of the many-seeded berry known as Pomegranate. When I was younger, my mother would de-seed a bowl of pomegranates for my sisters and I. We would spend our weekends in the Fall eating pomegranates while watching a movie. These pomegranates were picked at a local orchid. My father would bring home a large box full of split opened, sweet, and juicy reddish pomegranates. We had more than we could eat.
Benefits on eating Pomegranates:
* Has the most powerful anti-oxidants.
*These anti-oxidants can help fight heart disease and cancer.
* Can lower cholesterol and blood pressure.
How to grow your own Pomegranate small and evergreen tree:
My father never bought any of the pomegranate trees which he has planted for all of his daughters. Every house us girls ever lived in has at least one pomegranate tree planted in the backyard. He planted these small trees because they were free and easy to grow.
Take a 12 inch or longer cutting from a mature wood (at least 1 years old).
Remove most of the leaves (all if you can). Place 2/3rds of the cutting into the soil. Water it well. Place it in a sunny area. Cut in late winter. By next spring your small pomegranate tree should start to grow. In 2 to 3 years you should start seeing fruit produce.
The parts of a Pomegranate:
We love learning the parts of everything because it is so incredible to see how much detail God has put into everything he has created.
Pomegranate Crafts:
Our favorite part is always the crafts.
Use felt and make a pomegranate.
Use a stick to paint a pomegranate.
Learning the letter P has never been this fun. Use acorn cap (capule) and put hot glue and pomegranate seeds inside of them.
Where to pick Pomegranates:
Picking your own Pomegranates is the best way to guarantee that your pomegranate will be ripe and sweet since pomegranates do not ripen once ripped off the bush or small tree. The best pomegranates are the ones that have split open. You will never see split opened pomegranates at the grocery store because they are likely to mold if they have split opened. Visit Arya Farm Produce located at 21459 S. Reeve Rd Tracy, Ca 95304. They are opened Monday through Saturday from 10am-6pm and Sunday from 10am-5pm. Call (209) 835-9850 or visit www.aryafarmproduce.com before you come to make sure that the Pomegranates are ripe enough for picking.
How to de-seed a Pomegranate:
Cut the stem off.
Cut the crown out.
Make 3 cuts from top to bottom around the pomegranate.
Place these three sections in a bowl of water. This makes it easier to take out the seeds.
Strain the seeds from the water and enjoy these tasty seeds.
Pomegranates can be very messy and will stain your clothes so do not wear your Sundays best while de-seeding pomegranates.
Pomegranate salad:
In our first house (my husbands and mine) we had a fuyu persimmon tree growing right outside our bedroom sliding door. We loved this fruit and looked forward for it to become Fall. My father planted 8 pomegranate trees in our backyard which produced incredible amount of fruit. I enjoyed combining these two fruits in order to make a beautiful and sweet fruit salad.
What you need:
* 1 cup of walnuts
* 1 to 2 tablespoons of honey, depending on how sweet you want your salad to be.
* 1 lime (juice)
* 3 fuyu persimmons
* 2 large pomegranates
Mix all ingredients together and enjoy …..
As always…. Have Lots of fun…. Create memories that you and your children can cherish forever. It can be as simple as de-seeding a bowl of pomegranate seeds for them. :).
Do you have any special memories with some sort of fruit? Let me know by leaving a comment below.