To all pomegranate lovers: how to choose the ripe and most delicious fruit?

Since ancient times, pomegranate is known not only for its palatability, but also for its exceptional health benefits: this fruit, which, by the way, can be called both fruit and berry, has a positive effect on blood composition, increasing hemoglobin, it strengthens the nervous system, increases immunity, and also saturates the body with a huge amount of useful trace elements and vitamins.

When choosing a pomegranate, special attention should be paid to several factors, especially its ripeness, because only a good, juicy pomegranate will have all the beneficial properties and, of course, a real refreshingly sweet taste.

Is it possible to determine the ripeness of the fruit by appearance?

Let's figure out how to find out which fruit is good and which is not. One way to determine the quality and ripeness of pomegranate is its appearancethat includes:

• color and roughness of the skin of the fetus;
• condition of the apex (crown);
• fruit weight compared to other pomegranates of a similar size;
• elasticity and sound made by light tapping.

Photo

It looks like a ripe pomegranate in the photo.

Selection of ripe and sweet fruit

Pomegranate grows mainly in hot, southern countries, so for import it is often torn off yet not fully ripe, which affects both the taste and beneficial properties. For in order to choose and acquire the right sweet fruit, you must first carefully examine it and pay attention to the following features:

• The peel of a ripe pomegranate should be saturated red, from bright to dark, it may look slightly dried and rough to the touch, but in this case it should be dried only slightly, because if the fruit lies too long, it begins to dry together with the grains.

  Too glossy, smooth and shiny peel indicates the ripeness of the pomegranate, as well as its light shade of red. Any defects, such as dents, spots or cracks, in turn, indicate that the berry is overripe, which should be avoided.

• The ratio of the size and weight of the pomegranate indicates its juiciness, because the more grains are filled with juice, the heavier they are. Therefore, to select a juicy fruit, you need to select several medium-sized pomegranates without flaws on the peel and weigh them on the scales or simply holding them in your hands. The one that turns out to be heavier should have the most juicy and ripe grains.
• Sound. Of no small importance is the sound made by a grenade with a slight tapping - it should be sonorous, slightly springy and metallic. The muffled sound and dents remaining when tapped are inherent in unripe or overripe fruits.
• The crown-shaped pomegranate also deserves close attention. A good, juicy berry, as a rule, has a dry top of a rich red color, in no case a green or pale pink hue.
• Smell. A very important feature is the smell of pomegranate. Unlike many fruits and berries, a ripe and sweet pomegranate should not have any smell and should not give off something unpleasant.

Tips for choosing ripe pomegranate:

How not to buy overripe?

1. The overripe berry can be recognized by cracks and dents on the peel, as well as by the muffled sound heard when tapped. In addition, dark spots and peculiar “stains” on the skin also indicate overriding.
2. The old pomegranate, lying for a long time, looks very dried with a dried peel, when pressed, dried grains will be felt, almost devoid of crunch.
3. The dried fruit, like the old one, will be very dry with a thinning skin, much lighter in weight than its ripe counterparts.
4. A rotten fruit is distinguished by the presence of a corresponding odor and brown or black spots on the peel. When pressed, the elasticity inherent in a ripe fruit will be practically absent in a rotten pomegranate.

What can be done to make the green fruit sweeter?

If the fruit of a pomegranate was ripened unripe and green, with a high degree of probability it will no longer become sweet even after some storage and “ripening” at home. The fact is that it is recommended to store this berry only for a limited amount of time and at a certain temperature.

However, if the pomegranate looks only slightly unripe and a little greenish, you can try to make it a little sweeter by sending it to the refrigerator, pre-packing it in paper to avoid drying out. However, unfortunately, in any case, such a fruit will be less sweet than pomegranates ripened on a branch of a native tree.

This fruit can be stored for 9 months when optimal conditions are created., that is, wrapped in paper in a cool place and not more than 2 months at room temperature above + 10C.

A careful selection of pomegranate and following the simple rules for determining the ripeness of the fetus will be the key to its freshness, rich taste and, of course, great benefits for the human body as a whole.

Watch the video: Best Low-Carb Fruits and Which to Avoid (May 2024).