This past Saturday, I went to a pomegranate tasting with my boyfriend William, his mom Karran, and their dog Frankie. Having been somewhat new to these parts of California, I have yet to try a variety of the fruits that the area has to offer. Since I’ve started to date William though, it was apparently clear that I was going to have to familiarize myself with the pomegranate. I doubt many people in the south or midwest even have even tried a real pomegranate…I know I hadn’t living in Kentucky. If they have, it is probably in a juice or flavor form that doesn’t taste very much like the real deal. So getting to taste test 22 varieties was a treat and an eye opener into this unique fruit that is quickly growing in popularity.
The table was beautiful adorned with this fall fruit. I would give you more details on the very little I know about this fruit, but I suggest you visit the Pomegranate Wikipedia page.
I do know the red rubies that are the actual fruit are called arils. They have tiny little seeds in them that are soft are hard. Some people don’t like the seeds, but I don’t mind them.
Like I said, there was over 22 varieties. They were arranged from sweet to tart on the table and labeled with their variety information.
All the varieties were from the University of California Wolfskill Experimental Orchard. Wolfskill is right outside of Sacramento. It is land managed by the Department of Plant Sciences and cool research, plant breeding, and horticulture studying takes place there. They grow everything from peaches, strawberries, almonds, and pistachios, to apricots and cherries there. And of course pomegranates!
They also had a taste-testing of persimmons. The only other time I had a persimmon was as a kid when my mom had me eat on off the tree and it was super sour and my mouth puckered up. I guess that was a good laugh for everyone, but me!
There were a lot of people there! Many recorded their taste test results on sheets for further research. Also, Wolfskill offers pomegranate cuttings that growers can order at a later date.
I tended to go more toward the sweet pomegranate (that’s what Wonderfuls are). I also liked some that had a tart kick to it. It would be a hard job to be a taste tester. It’s hard to discern the difference. If you are wondering, they have a tartness overall, kinda like a cranberry, but it is still very different. They are very powerful in antioxidants and its considered a Superfruit, very healthy!!!
Oh and while we were there, Frankie (left) found a friend! So a good time was had by all! I hope you now have a little bit more pomegranate knowledge. One of these days, I’ll try to get William to do a video on how to get the arils out! It’s a little time intensive, but you better believe that if there was anyone to figure out how to streamline the process, it would be William! He uses a spoon to smack it!
Until next time Swellions!
Alexa
