Pomegranates

[hippywife]

The first and last time I tried a pomegranate was close to twenty years ago. I found them too difficult to deal with and not worth the reward.

A little while ago, I sat with a quarter one (after having used the rest of it in our yogurt this morning) and picked the arils out with my thumb nail and stuck them in my mouth one at a time. I can't have the seeds because of diverticulitis so didn't eat that part, but the fruit and juice surrounding them was exquisite.

This has to be the most quintessential of slow foods. :hi:

[elleng]

1. REAL slow! Pakistani friend loves them.

[The empressof all]

2. The easiest and least messy way to peel them

Do it under water. I cut it in half and then go to town getting to the seeds under water. The seeds sink, the pith mostly floats (though you want to pick it out as you go along) and there's no danger of red mess all over the place.

Try them with avocado's and balsamic vinegar btw...It's my new "thing"

[hippywife]

3. I did the whole water thing this morning

for our yogurt but it was just very relaxing to sit and eat the arils slowly and enjoy the little bursts of juice.

I saw the thread with your new treat. It sounds delicious. :D

[Warpy]

4. This is my favorite way to eat them

as a garnish for chiles rellenos en nogales. It's stuffed chile peppers with a walnut based sauce (fresh walnuts only, so it's a fall dish) and pomegranate seeds sprinkled on top. The hard part is getting the brown papery stuff off the walnuts. Warm water helps a bit there.

Oh, and I "get creative" with my filling, which doesn't follow the recipe here: http://instantharmony.com/WhatsForDinner/recipes/chilerellenosnogales.html

[yellerpup]

5. Pomegranites are my favorite!

I love to use them as garnish with Mexican foods. Love Warpy's recipe, but can't do cheese any more. I also drink 8 oz. of pomegranite juice every day (POM) which has gone a long way to help remove plaque from the veins in my legs. Pomegranite is one of those super foods, too, and one of the most effective anti-oxidants. They do have a short season and a high price per fruit, but so worth it on so many levels. Glad you've discovered them, sis! :hi:

[hippywife]

6. Well, you did get me thinking about trying

them again in your PM a few weeks back when we were discussing health issues. :hug: :loveya:

[yellerpup]

12. I take much pleasure in your pleasure of discovering

them. :hug: :loveya:

[hippywife]

18. And I take much pleasure

in your friendship. :hug:

[yellerpup]

19. Me, too!

:fistbump: :hug:

[Duer 157099]

7. We used to do that when we were kids

Our neighbor had a pomegranate tree near their fence and the fruit would hang over into our yard so we used to sit on the porch and pick the ? arils? (never knew that word before, thanks) out one at a time and eat them.

Ahhh, memories! I haven't eaten one in years, maybe even decades. Probably because I don't sit on the porch anymore, lol.

[Denninmi]

8. I used to buy a lot of them every fall. Can't afford them now.

Ever since POM Wonderful came along, the price of a pomegranate has soared. They used to be quite often 2 for $1, or sometimes cheaper, especially if purchased in a case lot. All of that has changed in the past 5-6 years, now I'm lucky if I can find them 2 for $3.

[hippywife]

9. If you have some local hispanic groceries

I'm told they tend to be less expensive there. :hi:

[GoCubsGo]

21. I don't think POM is to blame here.

It's more that, as was mentioned elsewhere in this thread, pomegranates have been designated a "superfood" by every popular health media source. Dr. Oz says they're a superfood, so do "The Doctors", Shape Magazine, Prevention Magazine... Now, everyone wants to eat them. It's kind of like various other food items that used to be cheap until some celebrity chef on the Food Network decided to make a dish with them. Ox tails used to be "peasant" food, and cost pennies per pound at one time. Now, they're as expensive as steak. The same goes for halibut. Used to be the cheapest fish out there. Stocks are still in relatively good shape, so I can't attribute the fact that it's now twelve bucks a pound to the fact that some celebrity chef made it popular.

[kestrel91316]

10. I LOVE them. And I eat the seeds.

[hippywife]

11. There is a nutritional benefit

to eating the seeds, too. I just don't think I should risk it. :o

[yellerpup]

13. I was just researching this last week.

I may be working up menus and recipes for a foundation that educates sufferers of Huntington's Disease on nutrition, and visited the Mayo Clinic website (among others). After my first colonoscopy in 2005 I was diagnosed with diverticulosis, too, but nuts and seeds make up a good part of my daily diet. By the time I had my second colonoscopy, the diverticulosis was no longer a factor. My gastro doctor takes photos of the process, and how lovely, squeaky clean, pink my intestines were! Below is the latest advice on the subject, but as it says in the end, if seeds and nuts seem to TRIGGER an attack they should be avoided. Personally, I found it beneficial to get in closer touch with my 'tree side.' :rofl:

From the Mayo Clinic

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/diverticulitis-diet/AN01255

Can people with diverticulitis eat nuts and seeds? I've heard conflicting advice.
Answer
from Michael Picco, M.D.

In the past, many doctors recommended that people with diverticulosis avoid seeds and nuts, including foods with small seeds, such as tomatoes, cucumbers and strawberries. It was thought that these tiny particles could lodge in the diverticula and cause inflammation (diverticulitis). But there is no scientific evidence that seeds and nuts cause diverticulitis flares. In fact, eating a high-fiber diet — which may include nuts and seeds — may reduce the risk of diverticular disease.

However, if you have diverticulitis and you believe that nuts and seeds trigger your attacks, avoid these foods. Just make sure you get enough fiber from other dietary sources.

[hippywife]

17. Yeah, I read that a couple of years ago

when I was first diagnosed. The only thing I totally avoid is popcorn, really. I was eating popcorn the night before my attack.

[yellerpup]

20. Definitely a recognizable trigger.

I can't eat popcorn anymore, either. It just won't go down in my new, remade esophagus. We'll just have to miss it together!

[kestrel91316]

15. I rarely drink juices - I always try to eat the whole fruit - there are so many

things we still don't know about nutrition and i want to get ALL the goodies.

[hippywife]

16. I only drink a little juice now and then

because it tastes good sometimes. I just fear eating seeds this big and chewing them is like chewing a toothpick.

[Lucinda]

14. Mmmm...I love pomegranate!

Haven't had any fresh pom in forever!
I wannnnt some!

FWIW the juice makes killer salad dressing.

I've had conflicting info from doctors about seeds - some say its ok, others are adamantly opposed...I do avoid them when I can.

:)