Try pomegranates

What a great thread! I recently saw or read something that gave me hope for trying a pomegranate here in zone 7. (Hey, if we can grow figs without protection, maybe we can grow poms, too? I enjoyed re-reading April's article before I set it to re-air. I'm glad you spotted it since so many of your pics are prominently featured in it.

Terry:

If you follow this thread, my venture into pomegranates was instigated by my BIL's exposure to the fruit. He is a part of the company that started POM -- which is now distributed world-wide .

The pomegranate is a major source of anti-oxidants -- which must be good for you. The aril is entirely digestible. I open them and separate the arils under water in a big bowl,

They got into the pomegranate business after buying acreage for more nuts and found it already covered with pomegranates in bloom. The biblical link and the beauty of the blossoms spared the crop -- and led to the resultant POM business. And, so, I had to grow my own.

The company is a major supplier of fruits and nuts, especially to the "big box club stores." -- you will see its products as "Cuties" and many varieties of "POM" nuts and FIJI water, et cetera.

Be well

Brad

Very cool - I must have missed that when I skim-read it. Love cuties and POM juice!

Most of their products go under the "Wonderful" label. It was the name of that variety of pomegranate they found on their acquired property.

That portion of their production goes under "Paramount Farms.". They ship worldwide.

Enjoy!

Be well

I started at the bottom so may have missed it but I wonder where Brad got his pomegranate trees. Does HD or Lowes (in FL) have them? I tried a mail order one in NC but the cold killed it.

I want one for my yard in Port ST Lucie, FL, Zone 9 - I think it will grow ok there.

My first exposure to pomegranates was from a small tree in my buddy's neighbor's yard ( we snatched a fruit whenever we could) we were about 10 years old then, I'd guess.

Paul

Keep trying. They seem to be rare. Mine is still a bush -- not a tree.

(o_O)

Blossoms starting.

Here is a triple pomegranate blossom.

Yea!!!
Can't wait until mine blooms!
Barb

Enjoy

Be well

(o_O)

Mine is loaded with blooms..

You are pretty lucky.

I've had 2 POMs for over 2 years now. I can't get them to do anything. Flyboy, can you suggest a good site to learn how to take care of these???

You all have the growing taken care of, but i will offer what i learned cleaning a big box of them last fall.

My daughter has a huge Pom tree, 20 or 25 feet tall, and about the same wide, and it is covered with fruit every year. That area was developed about 1960, + or -, so it could be as much as 50 years old.

I always liked them but disliked peeling and eating one at a time. I started using antioxidants, so she gave me a box full, and i started experimenting on faster ways to separate the arils. What worked best for me was to slice a half inch off the top and bottom,
then cut it vertically in half.

Then, each half can be separated easily by hand in to segments, breaking approximately, but not exactly, where the membranes are. I then hold them over a large bowl of water and thumb out the arils. the small pieces of membrane floats to the top of the water. Some seeds squirt, so beware of any curtains or such.

The arils keep well in the the fridge, and i would put a tablespoon full of the arils in my mouth and then chew out the juice and spit the seeds into the waste basket. I found 6 or 8 TBS to be a satisfactory amount.

After i used up what i cleaned. i started buying the Pom Juice fresh refrigerated at Costco. It has a scorched taste, probably from pasteurizeing or something, compared to the fresh, but i do find it makes me move and feel better.

They would be a profitable crop to grow, as my granddaugther picks the ones she can reach and sells them for $1.00 each. The ones above what she can reach from the ground are left for birds to eat over the winter.

The tree is located in a suburb of Los Angeles. A lemon tree survives well there, but she gets ice on her horse troughs a few times each winter, so probably Zone 9 or 10.

Ernie

toybox: Try this : http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/mg056 Good luck

and, Ernie:

My only suggestion: The arils do squirt -- so -- break them open and separate the arils under water. I use a big bowl, 3/4 full of water. The arils drop to the bottom and the pieces of skin float to the top. Simple.

Be well

(o_O)

Flyboy,

I will try the underwater trick, but the squirts i had hit tile or glass, so easy to wipe off.

Ernie

It keeps your hands so you don't look like a murderer.

Good luck

(o_O)

Fly,

I may look like a murderer anyway, but i was surprised as red as that juice is, it did not seem to stain like berry juice does.

I was pleased the link you posted corroborated what i guessed about Karen's tree, being 30 feet tall, and doing a little better with the frost than Citrus trees do.

Ernie

The tree I planted several years ago has lots of little fruits on it along with more blossoms. The birds here really love them and it's hard to get any for myself. However, I have several small trees started and I'm sure that someday there will be enough for all of us.

I remove the seeds by cutting a circle about the size of a silver dollar around the blossom end. Then I make about six shallow cuts from the blossom end to the stem end. Holding the fruit under water it is easy to pull it apart; the seeds sink, peel and bitter interior pieces float. This is most efficient method I've discovered and it's easily learned by children who can then get their own seeds out once an adult has done the cutting. I developed this method for my friend Tony's daughter who has always been a great fruit lover and was wearing out her adult pom providers.

katie

Has anyone grown these from seed? If so, how did you do it?

Thanks

I have grown them from seed. I just sprinkled them on top of the soil and kept them damp. I grew them from seeds from my own tree so the seeds were fairly fresh. I've alos gotten seedlings from fruit which fell on the ground and was neglected. The variety "Wonderful" which is one of the best tasting will usually come true from seed. In my experience, they are one of the easiest trees to propogate from seed. kb

Katiebear,

I am sure your Pom trees are a welcome addition to Mulege, as there was not much there but Palm trees when i first started visiting there to fish in the 1960's. We had to fly in, as there was not a usable road from the North, and would stay in what is now the abandoned motel on the hill on the North side of the river.

It was delightful place then, very remote and small, and while i have saw it gradually grow during several visits both by road and sailboat, the last time i was there was nearly ten years ago.

I do hope your Pom trees do well there.

Ernie