Fresh locally grown POMEGRANATES are this week’s Fresh Pick of the Week from the Certified Farmers’ Market. Although POMEGRANATES have been a part of the human food chain for at least 4,000 years, their popularity in America took off only after health researchers began touting their amazing health benefits. Dubbed one of the new SuperFoods, POMEGRANATES and/or POMEGRANATE JUICE have become quite popular nowadays. And why not? POMEGRANATES are high in vitamin C and potassium, they are a great source of fiber, they are low in calories, and they contain particularly high amounts of three different types of polyphenols – a potent form of antioxidants. The three types – tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid – are all present in many fruit juices, but fresh pomegranate juice contains higher amounts of all three of them than any other juice
It is particularly ironic that Americans only became fond of POMEGRANATES after their health benefits were discovered, considering that the rest of the world has been in love with their exquisite beauty, delicious flavor, and vivid color for centuries. POMEGRANATES are also quite versatile. They can be eaten raw, or cooked – and are used as appetizers, soups, salads, main courses, sweets, preserves, and beverages. Fresh Squeezed POMEGRANATE JUICE is quite delicious as well, and can be drunk in its pure form, mixed with other juices, other beverages, used for salad dressings, or even used as a mixer for cocktails.
DID YOU KNOW: The only part of the Pomegranate that we eat is the aril, or seed casing. The peel and the white pulp membranes are inedible. Sometimes called seeded apples or Autumn apples, Pomegranates figured prominently in the worship of a number of ancient Goddesses, including the Anatolian Goddess Cybele, the Mesopotamian Goddess Ishtar, and the Greek Goddess Hera. They also hold a central role in the Greek myth of Persephone, and are considered by many scholars to have been the fruit described in the Old Testament as the forbidden fruit.
Price: $ 1.50 per pound and up
