Herb. No. 213 · Lythraceae
Iran and the Himalaya foothills; a hot-summer fruit from Granada to California.
Native · West Asia · Central Asia
Native Also grown
LegalGentleplant
Pomegranate
Punica granatum
A leathery fruit of the dry Mediterranean, packed with arils — juice and seed, not a rind tea.
Pomegranate is a West Asian shrub of hot, dry summers and cool winters. Traditional use is as the juicy arils and their juice. Culinary amounts are the path. The rind is a bitter astringent in old pharmacy, not a fruit. Extract marketing outran the kitchen. A split ripe fruit is the harvest cue.
Flavor
Sweet-tart juice, a little tannin from the pith if you are careless. Seed crunch is the point.
Parts used
Arils
Helpful
- A shrub that likes heat and neglect once established
- Arils freeze
Cautions
- The rind is not a snack
- Stains
- A long season to ripen inland