Brilliant red pomegranate seeds
“Live in each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.” – Henry David Thoreau
As I broke open the pomegranate and brilliant red seeds tumbled into the waiting bowl, I glanced up at that quotation by Thoreau tacked on the cupboard in the kitchen. I smiled because I had to think this is exactly what Thoreau had in mind. With red stained fingertips I picked the seeds gently out of the pomegranate pieces, every so often stealing a few to savor the sweetness while I worked. I look forward to pomegranate season all year long. When it finally arrives in the autumn, I just can’t wait to break open the first one.
My first memory of eating a pomegranate was in elementary school sitting out on the dining terrace in the hot Florida sun. There was a sweet girl in the class one year behind me who dreamed of one day becoming a doctor, a heart surgeon to be precise. I remember admiring her drive and passion way back then, and I’ve never doubted that she achieved her goals. We weren’t in the same class and only rarely met, but I liked watching her pour over encyclopedias in the library and knew we had a lot in common. She had long straight black hair, a shy smile and brought the most intriguing things in her lunch sack. That’s where, one day, she pulled out a pomegranate. It was the first time I had ever seen one, and I was so grateful she let me try some. In retrospect, I imagine she was grateful to have found a kid who didn’t make fun of her for having a pomegranate instead of peanut butter crackers or a fruit roll-up!
That was the first time I ate a pomegranate, and I often think back to when I was a kid as I work the seeds out of pomegranates now. I suppose that’s because I never ate them again until moving to Italy. One early autumn day on the bus from Amalfi to Sorrento I swore I saw a pomegranate on a tree as the bus whirled around a corner near Positano. I came home and looked up the word immediately in the Italian dictionary. Melograno is the Italian word for the tree and melagrana is the word for the fruit. I kept my eyes out for them when I visited the fruit shop, and soon enough I spotted piles of pomegranates arriving for the autumn. Now they’re one of the fruits I look forward to each year with the arrival of autumn on the Amalfi Coast.
Whatever influences pomegranates may have on me, I’m happy to resign myself to them.
A beautifully lyrical piece of writing about your love of pomegranates Laura. Sadly our tree died during the cold winter.
Ciao Linda! Thank you for your kind words. It really means so much! I’m so sorry to hear about your pomegranate tree. What a loss! We have such cold winters up in the mountains that I haven’t tried to plant any fruit trees. I don’t think they’d survive those winter winds!
Still none in the stores here…but I remember so fondly you and I eating lots of pomegranates while we watched movies last fall! Good memories. I am watching every week for them to arrive and will think of you. Beautifully written piece.
Ciao Mom! That’s the other thing I think about when I eat pomegranates – all those great movie nights eating pomegranates together. It’s such a good thing you have a red couch and chair!
I have a large Pomegranate tree in my back yard. It only produced a single fruit this year because we pruned it last fall. That means next year, it will be loaded with fruit. I don’t mind giving the tree and me a break every now and then. When you have a crop, it’s a lot of work to pick them and juice them. The juice makes wonderful grenadine, jelly, and gelato (http://www.scheherazade-thewritinglife.blogspot.com/2009/11/pomegranate-gelato.html). Of course, you can just shell them out and eat them like that. But if you have basketfuls of fruit, well, you need another solution.
I adore pomegrantes .. and so did my eldest son … oh yes you do need a red couch or chair to sit on LOL .. I think I am one of the worlds messiest Pomegrante eater .. or maybe you are!!
My almost 2yr old son ate his very first pomegranate this week. He thought it was kinda “crunchy”. I can only dream of having a tree in my backyard or even in my neighborhood. Thanks for the beautiful words, Laura.
YEA!!! I bought 4 beautiful pomegranates this morning. All I am missing is you, Laura, and The Holiday!
There is a small pomegranate tree just at the entrance to where I live in Positano, but there is also a huge one up where C works which nobody knows about so we get all the fruit from that…I’ve recently started juicing it with oranges, apples and carrots!