S'wonderful, S'marvelous. Pomegranates Are Great Even IF You Don't Want Wonderful.
I love history; I always have. While other kids in school had glazed over eyes when history class started, I was all ears and eyes. In my younger days, I headed the living history program for Old Town San Diego state historic park. It gave me real delight taking children back in time in an experiential way. You know, you can have a piece of living history in your own garden. Plant a pomegranate tree.
Pomegranates were among the first plantings ever done on the west coast by the Spanish friars right here in San Diego in 1769. It made perfect sense for them. They are hardy and drought tolerant, they are after all, from the same climactic zone we share. Another plus is that poms are very tolerant of salty soils and brackish water. High salinity of the drinking water was an issue for many of the missions in Baja and in California. In fact, poor water was the reason the mission moved to its present site in Mission Valley from its previous location on Presidio hill.
The history of the pomegranate however, goes much further back than 1769. How much further back you ask? How about back to earliest recorded history. You can plant one of the oldest trees known to man in your own home garden. Pomegranates are originally from Persia, and quickly were spread throughout the fertile crescent, and eventually the world. They were a prominent planting in the famous hanging gardens of Babylon. They were well known in ancient Egypt, and are found in glyphs almost everywhere. I was surprised when in Israel how prominently they figured in ancient Hebrew art. They are depicted in almost all decorative architecture, the tops of the fruit became the models for the crowns of the two main pillars in the holy temple. King Solomon writes of this scarlet fruit in his song of songs. He likens the lips of his his beloved to the luscious,moist, red arils of this ancient fruit. Sounds very romantic doesn't it?The island of Grenada has given the world its eponymous syrup, grenadine, from which fruit? You guessed it, the pomegranate. Let's have a Shirley Temple together.
Why should you join those who have planted this tree for millennia and put one in your own garden?
They are drought tolerant, bear at a very early age, require almost no pruning, are forgiving of bad pruning, have attractive flowers, and bear copious amounts of fruit. And what fruit it is! It has a very high level of anti-oxidants and vitamin C. Traditionally it has been used almost exclusively for juice; probably because most varieties grown commercially for juice have arils with a fairly large and crunchy seed; not a lot of fun to munch down on. At my age, I don't need any cracked teeth. I already make my wonderful and friendly dentist a very financially successful man. I don't need any more wealth transfers from me to him.
Thankfully changing consumer demands, and newfound varietal discoveries have changed our selection of homegrown poms for the better. Pomegranates aren't just for juicing anymore. Foodies have discovered that pomegranate's arils are both attractive and delicious in salads. They are very good fresh, eaten out of hand too. Of course you can always make juice from them. The ancient Babylonians were fond of pomegranate wine as well.
I hope by now you are at least considering adding one of these trees to your own bit of earth. I will deal with the varieties most commonly available from local sources. There are sufficient choices to bring you pom happiness.
Here is my list.
Wonderful:
This is the pomegranate offering of every big box store, in fact the only one I have seen at Lowes, Costco, or Home Depot. It is the choice of commercial growers (who grow primarily for juice), the most widely grown variety. Here is the big problem with Wonderful. It just isn't that wonderful. Its seeds are just too large and crunchy to be palatable. I am always worried I will break a tooth. Its juice is staining, and a bit too acidic to my taste; it will definitely make you pucker. The up side? It is exceedingly productive. It also carries some of the prettiest bright red/orange flowers you will ever see; it is also a very attractive tree, with red highlights in newly sprouted foliage. Grows to about 10 feet.
White Pomegranate:
I had a white variety in my previous home. I obtained it from my friends at Mission Hills nursery (support your local nursery) years ago. I had never seen one before nor since. It is still available wholesale through L.E.Cooke. I wish I'd dug it up and brought it with me. It has a very soft, very edible seed; it is great for fresh eating. It has excellent flavor, and superb juice. This is one the Babylonians grew; their favored variety for making wine. I have encountered a tree similar to the one I had, in pockets of Baja California. There they call it Blanco de Sonora, or translated: Sonora White. It is extremely tolerant of salt. Grows 8-10 feet. It isn't as attractive as other varieties, but still a great tree.
Eversweet:
This is one of my personal favorites. It has a showy orange flower, and is an attractive tree. The fruit of Eversweet is almost a pink color. The pink color is also the color of the tasty arils inside. It has little membrane, the juice is non-staining, and the seed is very soft (almost non-existent). This one also makes a very nice espalier, increasing your placement and planting options.
Parfianka:
I even love the name of this one- pahr-fee-ahn-kha. I confess I am a fan of Ronald Reagan, I was stirred profoundly when he told Mikhael Gorbachev, "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall." When I held pieces of that former barrier to freedom in my own hands, and look at the chunk of the Berlin wall in my bookcase, it still gives me chills. Well, Parfianka is part of the peace dividend that came with the fall of the Soviet Union. My favorite heirloom tomatoes of recent years such as Stupice, Black Krim, Thessoloniki, Caspian Pink, are also the fruit of Glasnost. This was brought back from Turkmenistan, and is my number one recommendation. It is available at Walter Andersen's. Superb color and flavor, very rich and sweet flavored, jam packed chambers with minimal membrane, very small edible seeds. Taste one, and you'll see why I recommend it so highly.
I hope you are inspired enough to get out into the garden to prepare a spot for one of these "wonderful" trees, even if you don't plant a wonderful.
Pomegranates were among the first plantings ever done on the west coast by the Spanish friars right here in San Diego in 1769. It made perfect sense for them. They are hardy and drought tolerant, they are after all, from the same climactic zone we share. Another plus is that poms are very tolerant of salty soils and brackish water. High salinity of the drinking water was an issue for many of the missions in Baja and in California. In fact, poor water was the reason the mission moved to its present site in Mission Valley from its previous location on Presidio hill.
The history of the pomegranate however, goes much further back than 1769. How much further back you ask? How about back to earliest recorded history. You can plant one of the oldest trees known to man in your own home garden. Pomegranates are originally from Persia, and quickly were spread throughout the fertile crescent, and eventually the world. They were a prominent planting in the famous hanging gardens of Babylon. They were well known in ancient Egypt, and are found in glyphs almost everywhere. I was surprised when in Israel how prominently they figured in ancient Hebrew art. They are depicted in almost all decorative architecture, the tops of the fruit became the models for the crowns of the two main pillars in the holy temple. King Solomon writes of this scarlet fruit in his song of songs. He likens the lips of his his beloved to the luscious,moist, red arils of this ancient fruit. Sounds very romantic doesn't it?The island of Grenada has given the world its eponymous syrup, grenadine, from which fruit? You guessed it, the pomegranate. Let's have a Shirley Temple together.
Why should you join those who have planted this tree for millennia and put one in your own garden?
They are drought tolerant, bear at a very early age, require almost no pruning, are forgiving of bad pruning, have attractive flowers, and bear copious amounts of fruit. And what fruit it is! It has a very high level of anti-oxidants and vitamin C. Traditionally it has been used almost exclusively for juice; probably because most varieties grown commercially for juice have arils with a fairly large and crunchy seed; not a lot of fun to munch down on. At my age, I don't need any cracked teeth. I already make my wonderful and friendly dentist a very financially successful man. I don't need any more wealth transfers from me to him.
Thankfully changing consumer demands, and newfound varietal discoveries have changed our selection of homegrown poms for the better. Pomegranates aren't just for juicing anymore. Foodies have discovered that pomegranate's arils are both attractive and delicious in salads. They are very good fresh, eaten out of hand too. Of course you can always make juice from them. The ancient Babylonians were fond of pomegranate wine as well.
I hope by now you are at least considering adding one of these trees to your own bit of earth. I will deal with the varieties most commonly available from local sources. There are sufficient choices to bring you pom happiness.
Here is my list.
Wonderful:
White Pomegranate:
I had a white variety in my previous home. I obtained it from my friends at Mission Hills nursery (support your local nursery) years ago. I had never seen one before nor since. It is still available wholesale through L.E.Cooke. I wish I'd dug it up and brought it with me. It has a very soft, very edible seed; it is great for fresh eating. It has excellent flavor, and superb juice. This is one the Babylonians grew; their favored variety for making wine. I have encountered a tree similar to the one I had, in pockets of Baja California. There they call it Blanco de Sonora, or translated: Sonora White. It is extremely tolerant of salt. Grows 8-10 feet. It isn't as attractive as other varieties, but still a great tree.Eversweet:
Parfianka:
I hope you are inspired enough to get out into the garden to prepare a spot for one of these "wonderful" trees, even if you don't plant a wonderful.
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