LITTLE SHOP OF FLORA- PRODIGIOUS POMEGRANATE
(BEST SEEN LARGE, FECUND AND JUICY!)
Before we moved house we benefited from having a pomegranate tree in the backyard that yielded lots of very large fruit. The thrived in the dry soil where they were planted. The arils (seed casings) are amongst some of the reddest natural objects I can recall seeing and you don't want to get the juice on your clothes as it stains are hard to shift; so yes, it can be used as a dye for non synthetics.
The seeds are edible and can be used in sauces, liqueurs, toppings, marinades, spices and so on. Pomegranate juice is widely touted as having many health benefits, with some claims verified by scientific research. At least, the fruit is a rich source of vitamin C, and pomegranate extracts have no sugar content. The juices anti-oxidant properties are the subject of much hopeful anti-cancer research.
Pomegranates are 'classical' trees that were cultivated in ancient Persia, amongst other cradle civilizations, so they are mentioned in fantasy fiction like the Bible and Koran, as well as generally being woven into myth, legend and ritual. The fruit is, for example, one of the symbols of Hera. They are quite often found as fertility symbols.
Xerxe's crack troops, The Immortals, had spears with pomegranate shaped counterweights and the fruit's resemblance to hand held bombs much later gave us the word 'Grenade'. On a Moor peaceful note, the city of Grenada also owes its name to the fruit.
It gave me a sense of historical connection having one of these hardy trees nearby, and certainly the native and introduced birds who made a meal of the fruit seemed also to be enthusiastic amateur historians!
LITTLE SHOP OF FLORA- PRODIGIOUS POMEGRANATE
(BEST SEEN LARGE, FECUND AND JUICY!)
Before we moved house we benefited from having a pomegranate tree in the backyard that yielded lots of very large fruit. The thrived in the dry soil where they were planted. The arils (seed casings) are amongst some of the reddest natural objects I can recall seeing and you don't want to get the juice on your clothes as it stains are hard to shift; so yes, it can be used as a dye for non synthetics.
The seeds are edible and can be used in sauces, liqueurs, toppings, marinades, spices and so on. Pomegranate juice is widely touted as having many health benefits, with some claims verified by scientific research. At least, the fruit is a rich source of vitamin C, and pomegranate extracts have no sugar content. The juices anti-oxidant properties are the subject of much hopeful anti-cancer research.
Pomegranates are 'classical' trees that were cultivated in ancient Persia, amongst other cradle civilizations, so they are mentioned in fantasy fiction like the Bible and Koran, as well as generally being woven into myth, legend and ritual. The fruit is, for example, one of the symbols of Hera. They are quite often found as fertility symbols.
Xerxe's crack troops, The Immortals, had spears with pomegranate shaped counterweights and the fruit's resemblance to hand held bombs much later gave us the word 'Grenade'. On a Moor peaceful note, the city of Grenada also owes its name to the fruit.
It gave me a sense of historical connection having one of these hardy trees nearby, and certainly the native and introduced birds who made a meal of the fruit seemed also to be enthusiastic amateur historians!