Harvesting pomegranates

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Charithea

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Harvesting pomegranates
« on: September 22, 2013, 04:47:34 PM »
Here are 2 pictures of our latest pomegranate harvest.  We shared this year's crop with the birds.  I was assisted by our very enthusiastic granddaughter.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

SusanIbiza

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #1 on: September 22, 2013, 07:14:09 PM »
We just love pomegranates.  Which variety would you recommend for a small garden?  I am anxious to plant one.
Now gardening in Ibiza, Balearics having moved last year from Queensland, Australia.  Mediterranean gardening is my challenge now, there is such a lot to learn, but it is lots of fun.

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Charithea

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #2 on: September 23, 2013, 05:07:30 PM »
I have to apologise for not being able to recommend which variety of pomegranate would be suitable for your garden.  The variety we have is very old.  It appears in most gardens in Cyprus.  The old generation of gardeners never bought pomegranate and fig trees or vines.  They were normally acquired from friends, relatives etc.  The hardwood cuttings were pushed into the ground and almost always survived and produced fruit.  Ours were given to me by the youngest of my brothers who took the cutting from his own tree.  Usually the fruit is ready in October but we harvested ours early before the birds ate them all.  We share figs and pomegranates with them every year.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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JTh

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #3 on: October 07, 2016, 06:41:36 PM »
What do you do with this many pomegranates. It's limited how many you can put in your salad and there is also a limit to how much pomegranate jelly we need. Does anybody have any suggestions, preferably something that does dot require too much work? Collecting enough seeds to make 3 liters of juice for the jelly was quite time consuming. I still haven't harvested the second pomegranate tree.


_9303394 What shall I do with all these?.jpg
by Jorun Tharaldsen, on Flickr


_A063560 More pomegranate jelly.jpg
by Jorun Tharaldsen, on Flickr

Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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Alisdair

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #4 on: October 08, 2016, 10:04:55 AM »
What a lovely sight, Jorun! Would you let me use the top one as a cover picture on our Facebook page sometime?
Alisdair Aird
Gardens in SE England (Sussex); also coastal Southern Greece, and (in a very small way) South West France; MGS member (and former president); vice chairman RHS Lily Group, past chairman Cyclamen Society

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JTh

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #5 on: October 08, 2016, 11:12:40 AM »
Of course, Alisdair, I'll send you the photo.
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

Caroline

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #6 on: October 08, 2016, 08:13:02 PM »
I'm jealous of all those lovely pomegranates, as my tree is still very small and has not yet flowered.  How about pomegranate molasses - probably a reasonable amount of work, but delicious!
I am establishing a garden on Waiheke Island, 35 minutes out of Auckland. The site is windy, the clay soil dries out quickly in summer and is like plasticine in winter, but it is still very rewarding. Water is an issue, as we depend on tanks. I'm looking forward to sharing ideas. Caroline

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JTh

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #7 on: October 08, 2016, 10:04:28 PM »
Thank you, Caroline, I'll have a look at the recipe and see if it's not too laborious.  
« Last Edit: October 09, 2016, 07:04:58 PM by JTh »
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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Charithea

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #8 on: October 09, 2016, 05:08:17 PM »
Jorun, what a crop of pomegranates!  Don't you have birds to eat them?  We don't make jams/jelly/preserves with them as far as I know but there is now a NEW TREND. The last few years a lot of pomegranates trees have been planted for the sole purpose of using the juice to make shoushouko.  Traditionally is made with the juice of the grapes. I will post a photo of this after St. Lukes festival at the village which takes place on the 18th of October. Shoushouko is simply almonds which have been threaded on thread and dipped in the thickened juice of grapes but in this case it is in pomegranate juice and left to dry. Another new trend is to use  pomegranates in salads with wild rocket.  Traditionally pomegranates were cut and hung somewhere dry to be used for mnimosina. This is an old religious custom here in Cyprus. On the anniversary of somebody's death, parent, relative etc... a tray containing cooked wheat mixed with blanched almonds and a lot of pomegranate seeds is taken to church for the priest to bless and then handed out to the congregation to eat. I hope I have not bored you with all this information but I thought if you didn't want all your pomegranates you could offer them to the church and they can then be given to those who want them.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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JTh

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #9 on: October 09, 2016, 07:04:39 PM »
Thank you, Charithea, this was not boring at all, but very interesting. I have managed to give away four full plastic shopping bags, so there are not that many left,except for small ones and the ones have haven't picked yet from the second tree. Actually, everybody around here seem to have their own pomegranate tree, and they are not that interested in getting more fruit. But the jelly I made is very popular.

Yes, the birds eat some, I leave a few fruits on the tree for them, but mots of the seeds end up in the soil around the tree, I have plenty of seedlings all the time and have to weed them out.

The shoushouko sounds nice, but must take a lot of time to make. I often make rocket salad with pomegranate seeds (and slivers of parmesan cheese), delicious.
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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Charithea

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #10 on: October 18, 2016, 04:10:10 PM »
As promised I am posting photos of shoushouko.  I went round the stallholders and asked them about their produce and the process of making shoushouko. I have bought different flavoured ones from different stalls so that I could discuss the subject with the vendor. Jorun it definitely is a long process.  Collecting the almonds, shelling them, soaking the nuts to be threaded, drying the nuts for 3 days before dipping them in the mixture of the juice that has been filtered and thickened. Each thread has to be dipped in the mixture at least three times to get the shape and each time hung to dry and the process is repeated with fresh mixture being prepared and then hung to dry before being sold. I prefer the traditional one made out of grape juice but I have been informed the pomegranate is popular with the younger generation and so is carob. I have included a photo of the terebinthus seeds which are used to make tremithopittes. Tremithopites were a favourite with my mother and aunt.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

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JTh

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #11 on: October 24, 2016, 03:12:56 PM »
Thank you, Charitea, for all the information, which was very interesting. I´m sorry I haven´t been ablel to answer before, but my laptop broke down and I had to get a new one.
The prosess of making shoushouko is a bit more laborious than I´m up to, so I ended up with gelly, whic I made of 5 liters of juice, I needed a lot of ´koukoutsia´ to make that, the rest of the pomegranates, about 2/3, I gave away. The result is delicious, and it is a popular gift.
Retired veterinary surgeon by training with a PhD in parasitology,  but worked as a virologist since 1992.
Member of the MGS  since 2004. Gardening in Oslo and to a limited extent in Halkidiki, Greece.

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Charithea

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #12 on: October 31, 2016, 05:28:48 PM »
Hello Jorun. We have been away attending the AGM of the MGS and  I had no time to check the forum. I had the good luck to meet Hilary there too. While visiting gardens in Athens,  Nikos Vlachakis, the new head of the Greek branch and I were discussing the use of different mediterranean fruits that we were encountering. He told me he had made some very tasty jam(marmelada) using quince, lemons, pomegranates and apples. He sent me the recipe and I will try it out. I have just about enough pomegranates left. I will then post the recipe with the photos on the web site. Could you send your pomegranate jelly recipe to Fleur for the web site so we can try it too. The commercial pomegranates will soon be in the shops for me to buy.
I garden in Cyprus, in a flat old farming field, alt. approx. 30 m asl.

Hilary

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #13 on: November 01, 2016, 05:32:44 PM »
I had expected to come home from Sparta today with bags and bags of pomegranates.
However, it rained and rained for most of the five days we were there.
So no pomegranate picking.
MGS member
Living in Korinthos, Greece.
No garden but two balconies, one facing south and the other north.
Most of my plants are succulents which need little care

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John J

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Re: Harvesting pomegranates
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2018, 08:46:05 AM »
Poor pomegranate crop this year due to 2 winters with very little rain, but we we have had some and some for the birds.
Cyprus Branch Head. Gardens in a field 40 m above sea level with reasonably fertile clay soil.
"Aphrodite emerged from the sea and came ashore and at her feet all manner of plants sprang forth" John Deacon (13thC AD)