665090 Thu Nov 05 21:28:09 -0800 2009 15 27 General Chowhounding Topics 0 5153377 So what's the difference between different varieties? Can you really tell? Tue Nov 03 15:46:51 -0800 2009 10159 Ruth Lafler 1 5153395 I know you weren't asking me, but so far, from my experience ... nope. The thing seems to be to get the largest possible so the seeds are large and there are a lot of them. Opening a bunch of tiny pommegranates is a pain. That isn't to say I wouldn't keep trying different varieties. I haven't seen white pomegranites yet. Other than the color, not really different from red. Tue Nov 03 15:54:09 -0800 2009 5153377 10264 rworange 2 5154006 I went to a Rare Fruit Growers meeting in Davis last year for a pomegranate tasting at the seed bank where they grow about 20 or so varieties. All were available for tasting, and there was a large variation in both color and taste. It was pretty educational and we got to go to the orchards and pick grocery bags full of the very ripe fruit. Tue Nov 03 20:39:39 -0800 2009 5153395 293998 vday 1 5153447 This page discusses some, tartness, sweetness, seed hardness, and juice color apparently vary: http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/pomegranate.html Tue Nov 03 16:06:38 -0800 2009 5153377 11369 Robert Lauriston 1 5153638 absolutely there's a huge difference! First of all, I find that the first pomegranates of the season ain't so flavorful. Second, the variety called "wonderful" is appropriately named. Obviously, some harvests are better than others, but in general they are sweet and juicy. And those are the key words for this fruit. A not-so-good pomegranate is tasteless and more dry than juicy. Like with oranges and grapefruit, the heavier it is, the juicier it will taste. I'm not sure if the color of the skin indicates the quality of the fruit -- if a darker skin = more flavor. And I'm not sure if the organics taste better than the non-organic. But those of us who savor the flavor, appreciate the effort to peel the fruit. Tue Nov 03 17:24:39 -0800 2009 5153377 97528 escargot3 2 5153897 Escargot is right about the early season poms. They've been available for maybe 4 weeks at the Alameny market, but those I bought a couple weeks ago (from 2 different vendors) were lousy. They should be pretty good by now. Look for pods that are splitting open -- it's a good thing. Tue Nov 03 19:26:17 -0800 2009 5153638 53530 Zeldog 2 5154142 Well, suddenly I am an "expert" on pomegranates because my new house is blessed with a very productive tree. I have no idea what variety they are, but they are fairly large. I will tell you this: the skin got darker as the pomegranates got riper. So therefore dark skin DID equal better taste....because they were riper. Now, as far as I know my pomegranates are "organic" , as we know the previous occupants of our house and they say nothing has been done to the tree other than occasional watering.... With us it has been a game of picking the pomegranates when they are as ripe as possible without being so good the birds get 'em :-) Actually, we ended up picking most of the fruit left on the tree last week; we had a spell of cold weather and we were concerned about the fruit. I mailed a bunch to my son in NOLA, and they apparently survived the trip! I never thought I would get sick of pomegranates...but...either this was a VERY productive year or this is just a very productive tree. Tue Nov 03 22:36:37 -0800 2009 5153638 10290 janetofreno 3 5154163 If you don't know you can freeze the seeds, I'll dig up the thread that discusses it. Tue Nov 03 23:02:36 -0800 2009 5154142 10264 rworange 4 5154207 http://www.chow.com/ingredients/21 In thin layers in freezer bag. Wed Nov 04 00:42:38 -0800 2009 5154163 105235 wolfe 3 5155360 Most places in the Bay Area, mailing or otherwise transporting raw fruit off your property without a certificate from a county, state, or federal agricultural officer is a violation of the federal quarantine currently in effect. http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/phpps/pdep/lbam/quarantine.html Wed Nov 04 10:18:36 -0800 2009 5154142 11369 Robert Lauriston 4 5155583 "janetofreno" does not live in the Bay Area (nor does she live in Reno any longer, but still in Nevada). Still, I hope you checked to see if there were restrictions on sending fruit to Louisiana. Wed Nov 04 11:22:05 -0800 2009 5155360 10159 Ruth Lafler 5 5155644 The federal order bans transporting fruit, herbs, and plants within the quarantine zone off the property where they're growing without a certificate. The order applies only to parts of California where the moths have been found, which now includes most of the Bay Area. http://pi.cdfa.ca.gov/pqm/manual/pdf/maps/3434LBAMBAYAREAOVERVIEW.pdf Wed Nov 04 11:42:25 -0800 2009 5155583 11369 Robert Lauriston 6 5156020 Yes, but as I mentioned, Janet lives in Nevada. Since no one who lives in California has mentioned shipping fruit, your harping on this is off topic. Wed Nov 04 13:27:26 -0800 2009 5155644 10159 Ruth Lafler 7 5156054 I had no reason to think anyone posting in this topic didn't live here (who else would care about where to find pomegranates locally?), and my second post on the subject was only to respond to the implication in your post that the destination of the shipment would make a difference. Wed Nov 04 13:37:36 -0800 2009 5156020 11369 Robert Lauriston 8 5156398 I thought my post was quite clear: I clearly said Janet "still lives in Nevada." But as I pointed out, even if it's okay to ship fruit *from* Nevada* it might not be okay to ship it *to* Louisiana. You need to check both ends of the shipment. Wed Nov 04 15:25:45 -0800 2009 5156054 10159 Ruth Lafler 8 5157250 I replied to a post (within the comment about where to find pomegranates locally) regarding whether the skin color of the fruit made any difference in taste. Since my experience watching my "crop" ripen was that they darkened as they ripened, I wanted to let that poster know that at least for whatever variety I am blessed with skin color does indeed make a difference. I read the Bay Area posts since I grew up there, and I currently care about anything pomegranate...since I am still looking for ideas and recipes. Sorry to get off topic. btw, Ruth, it did not even occur to me that shipping fruit out of state might be a problem. My bad, sorry. I guess I've lived outside of California too long..... Wed Nov 04 22:28:57 -0800 2009 5156054 10290 janetofreno