A ripe pomegranate is a pleasure, whether on its own, in a salad or to refine meat dishes. The juicy seeds taste fruity-sweet with a slightly bitter note. However, this unique taste experience is only available with ripe fruits.
When are pomegranates ripe and how do you recognize them?
Ripe pomegranates are a pleasure because they taste fruity-sweet with a slightly tart note. You can recognize them by their spotty, irregular coloring, hard shell and dried flower base. They are available in Germany between September and December.
The pomegranates are similar in shape to domestic apples, but have a very firm, leathery peel and a large number of edible seeds inside instead of pulp. There are said to be several hundred. The seeds consist of a small, solid core, which is surrounded by a glassy-looking, pink to deep red fruit coat that is bulging with juice.
When can you buy ripe pomegranates?
In Germany you can buy ripe pomegranates between September and December. These are mainly made up of
- Spain,
- Türkiye,
- Israel and
- Iran
imported. In the countries of origin, the pomegranates are harvested when fully ripe, as the fruits do not ripen.
How can you recognize ripe fruit?
The ripeness of a pomegranate cannot be determined by the smell or sound. You can judge whether a fruit is unripe based on its appearance alone. In contrast to conventional apples, where the beautiful exterior indicates the tasty content, the tastiest pomegranates usually look unattractive.
Their peel is spotty, irregularly colored, reddish, light orange to yellowish or brownish, depending on the variety. It has small dents or dents and a dried-out flower base. In addition, it is often very hard, feels rough and cracked, almost woody. The ripeness test also includes touching the shell with your fingers. Soft, discolored areas indicate rotting interior.
Open ripe fruits carefully
Ripe fruits are easy to break open. The seeds of such fruits simply fall out when the outside of the peel is gently tapped. Because of the juicy contents, caution should be exercised when opening a ripe fruit. The dark red sap leaves stains on textiles and wood. If you roll a ripe fruit extensively over the work surface before opening it, the juice will practically gush out when you cut it open.
The pomegranates - although harvested ripe - have a long shelf life thanks to their protective peel. They can be stored in the refrigerator for several months without any loss of quality. Even if the fruits look a little dried out after long storage, the seeds inside remain fresh and juicy.
Tips & Tricks
If a pomegranate becomes so dry that you no longer want to eat it, the exotic fruit is ideal for decoration purposes, especially during Advent and Christmas. You can give the fruit that has become woody a new shine by rubbing it with paint or dusting it with gold dust.
