Eating Seasonally

It seems like summer is the season of plentiful harvest but fall, too, has her share of bountiful produce.  Fall’s showcase can sometimes prove to be tricky to figure out how to enjoy at our tables.  But today I’d like to share one of my favorite fall fruits and figure out a way to enjoy fall harvest just the same!

Bring on the pomegranate.  This is one of my favorites.  This fruit is in season from September through January here in the U.S., just around the time when you’re favorite summertime fruits have said goodbye.   If you've ever tried this fruit, you’ll know it is challenging to eat, stains your hands and clothes and sometimes leads as outsider to question why one would put themselves through the effort of eating it.  But the truth is…it’s so worth it!

Let’s start with some history…The pomegranate has been a long time staple of the Middle Eastern cuisine.  Its old age is recorded in ancient texts like the Book of Exodus, the Homeric Hymns and the Quran.  The ancient fruit-bearing shrub, from which it grows, is native to Persia, the lands we now call Iran and Iraq.  As with most of our earth bearing foods, the pomegranate traveled; it spread eastward towards China and India.  More recently it has become popular here in the States and the Mediterranean regions for what has been discovered as amazing and quite intense health benefits.   

I like to explore the etymology of words to understand more about the food itself and our ancestors’ descriptions of such.  Here, pomegranate derives from Medieval Latin Punica granatum and means seeded apple.  And that’s exactly what it looks like.  From the outside this fruit resembles an apple, but cut it open and all you will find are juicy seeds.  Here’s an interesting fact: remember that Shirley Temple you were always ordering from the bar as a child.  Well a Shirley Temple is made with a splash of Grenadine, sound familiar?  That word is derived from the same Latin as the pomegranate and low and behold, grenadine was originally prepared from pomegranate juice, sugar and water.

Add this holiday treat to your Thanksgiving tradition for the children at the table:

Homemade Shirley Temples                                                                    

- 2 parts ginger ale

- 1 part orange juice

- 1 part pomegranate juice (can be substituted with Grenadine – although 

      today’s version is often toted with artificial ingredients)

- A maraschino cherry

Directions: Combine liquid ingredients, stir to blend and top with a cherry.  The children at the Thanksgiving table will feel special with their fancy holiday drink and get a nice dose of vitamin C!

If we have a children’s drink, we have to have an adult drink as well…

Cosmo Pomegranate Martini (also known as a Pomegranatini)                                                                     

- 2 oz citron vodka

- 1 oz orange liquor, Cointreau

- 2 oz pomegranate juice

- ½ oz lemon juice

Directions: Combine vodka, orange liquor, and lemon juice in a cocktail shaker over ice.  Cover; shake until outside begins to frost.  Strain into a chilled martini glass, garnish with a lemon rind curly Q and enjoy!

I get excited every time I enjoy a pomegranate for I know I am enjoying an ancient secret: plentiful health benefits.  In Ayurvedic medicine http://nccam.nih.gov/health/ayurveda (a link to discover more on one of the world’s oldest medical systems) the pomegranate was and still is considered a source for their traditional remedies.  One remedy I find striking  is that the seeds and juice are known as a tonic for the heart and throat.  There are many other ways in which this medical system and other traditional medical systems believe the pomegranate can be used for health.

From the literature I can tell you that the pomegranate offers about 20% of our DRV of vitamin C.  It is a good source of B5, potassium, fiber, packed with antioxidants and other micro-nutrients.  Researchers continue to link this fruit to anti-disease benefits and are looking at the pomegranate to be effective in reducing heart disease.

So let’s eat it then!  The best way I enjoy a pomegranate is to simply cut it open and eat it.  Here are some simple instructions (disclaimer: wear clothes you might not mind staining, have plenty napkins on hand, and be prepared for a red mess):

1. Using a sharp knife, lightly score the skin into quarters or sixths from the stem side down to the crown end.
2. Cut off the top of the pomegranate and remove any pale yellowish pith.
3.  Gently pull the sections apart and follow the pomegranate as it divides itself by the pith (it will naturally pull apart in most cases. 
4. You can break off small sections, peeling away the membrane to reach the clusters of seeds.
5.   Rub or pop each seed off the pith and pop them into your mouth.  You can eat the whole seeds.  Some choose to spit out the fibrous center (although that is edible and has health benefits itself.)

    Pomegranate seeds are great as a salad topping.  You can sprinkle them on desserts for that added sweet yet tart flavor.  One idea after seeding is to extract the juice for an intense antioxidant drink.  If you’re inspired, check out the Food Network’s list of recipe for other ways to incorporate this seasonal fruit into your meals.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/topics/pomegranate/index.html

Eat seasonally, eat health, eat and enjoy your life!