Pomegranates

Last year, my sister Marji mentioned she had pomegranates growing in her Las Vegas backyard. Sure you do, I said. And so she promptly mailed me a box of them, to prove she was right. In case there was any doubt remaining, she sent us more this fall. Of course I'm happy about it-- we like pomegranates and they're expensive at the grocery store.

I don't know why I found it surprising they grow well in suburban Las Vegas. It is a desert after all, with an Iranian climate: scorching hot summers and short, mild, dry winters. Wikipedia says they've been grown in the middle east for thousands of years, and were introduced into California by Spanish settlers in about 1769, along with many other fruits we now think of as American.

Iran is probably the land of pomegranates, and 760 species are shown at the Iranian National Pomegranate Collection in Yazd. That is a sight I'll never see, but it's interesting to think about.

Making healthful juice at a street stand

The only down-side to pomegranates is it's messy and tedious to open them. First you score it with a knife and break it open. (Get out the Spray n' Wash, because you'll be splashed generously with red juice.) The white seed casings are called arils, and with effort these separate from the peel. The little seedy fruits are held in fussy membranes.

If you have a white kitchen like me, it won't be white for long. I once read in a magazine you should pull them apart in a deep bowl of water, because the seeds sink, the white pulp floats, and the juice stays in the water.

Then it's an easy matter to skim the membrane and drain the seeds through a colander.
They're tasty plain or mixed with other fruit, but I like them best sprinkled on green salad. They have a sweet crunch that's good with a citrus vinaigrette dressing.

Thanks, Marji!