Pomegranates are an Intriguing and Powerful Fruit that stirs up the imagination.
As I make my Pomegranate Jam, I think of the Shakespearean phrase, ‘Nightly she sings on yon pomegranate tree…’ and the memory of playing the part of ‘Juliet’ when I was eighteen years old without ever seeing a pomegranate tree or the fruit itself. This is odd because I was raised as a vegetarian. Yet decades later, there is a pomegranate tree growing in my backyard.
Pomegranates are a Powerful Antioxidant!
The pomegranate looks similar to an apple on the outside but inside the skin, you’ll find a multitude of tiny berries that are beneficial to your health and beauty.
Pomegranates are good for you!
Can you eat the seeds in each juicy morsel? Yes, chew it well, the seeds contain oil, and isoflavones (also contained in soy) so it becomes creamy in your mouth. The juice squirting in your mouth from each berry is quenching and soothing to your throat. Also, feel good knowing that you are getting nutrients including 5 polyunsaturated fatty acid that helps with cell regeneration.
Picking a Sweet Pomegranate… Beware of Creepy Bugs!
I always pick fruit at the market that has markings on the skin because I know the bugs like sweet things too. Because of our hot summer, my pomegranates were already bursting on the tree. This made the seeds easy to get out. However, it invites creepy large bugs. Yuck!
The bugs looked slow-moving so I carefully ventured into the tree to pick a pomegranate. What just flew above my head? Was it one of these bugs? Yikes, they fly! The Leaffooted Plant Bug was well camouflaged within the tree!
I ran to my house to get my cell phone so I could take a picture of these little critters. Can you see the creepy crawlers? It won’t be easy to see the bugs but that’s what makes it fun! Are you game?
Play with a friend. Where’s ‘Waldo,’ the bug? (Reminiscent of the children’s books, ‘Where’s Waldo’ or in some countries, ‘Where’s Wally.’) Hint: In this collage of two pictures, there is a bug in each picture. If you have trouble finding the bugs, you can click on the picture to enlarge it. 😉
Leaffooted Plant Bugs in the Pomegranate Trees!
Natural Pomegranate Jam Recipe
(made with Lemonade and Pectin)
This simple pomegranate jam recipe contains no added sugar! It is sweetened with a little honey and lemon aid that I made from fresh lemon juice (lemons from my tree). Of course, you’ll also need fresh pomegranate seeds and pectin (pictured).
Natural Pomegranate Jam with Pectin
Prepare:
I suggest that you put on an apron so you don’t stain your clothing and wear tight-fitted latex gloves (if not allergic to latex) to protect your nails.
Soak and Separate Pomegranate:
I soak each cracked pomegranate in water to cleanse it and then put it in the water again to get the seeds out while the pomegranates are immersed in water. This is an easy way to loosen the seeds because the seeds sink and the pulp floats. Then, I put the pomegranate berries/seeds through a strainer, discard any unwanted remnants and keep only the best. One large pomegranate yields about one cup or less of berries/seeds.
~ This recipe makes three cups of my Natural Pomegranate Jam.
~ First open the package of Pomona’s Universal Pectin (pictured) containing no sugar or preservatives. The information /instructions that are found on the inside of the package are plentiful and can be confusing, so I have made it easier here:
Ingredients:
3 cups of lightly mashed pomegranate berries/seeds
1 cup of fresh lemonade (lemon juice and water sweetened with stevia and honey or agave)
2 teaspoons of calcium water (powder is in the package – 1/2 teaspoon of powder to 1/2 cup water)
1/2 cup of honey * Ikaria honey has many health benefits; it is rich so use less.
2 teaspoons of pectin (powder in package)
Glass jars with tight lids (let jars and lids sit in hot water until needed)
Instructions:
In a bowl, add 1/4 cup of lemon aide with the mashed pomegranates and keep the mixture on the side for later. Meanwhile, put 3/4 cup of juice and honey in a pan with the calcium water and boil separately. Then, put this mixture in a blender and add pectin until the powder dissolves in juice. Put the pomegranate mixture in a pan and bring it to a boil. Pour the pectin mixture from the blender into the pan and return to a boil. Remove the mixture from heat and fill the warm, empty jars with the jam mixture, leave some room at the top, and screw the lids on tightly. When the mixture cools, it will harden into a jam. Put jam into the refrigerator when the jars are cool. Enjoy!
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Powerful Connections & Sweet Escapes
No matter how far or near, the power of love connects us to those who have touched our hearts. That wonderful energy triggers our memory and senses just by listening to a song or eating food.
Making Pomegranate Jam renews my connection to a special friend, Robyn Whatley – Kahn who is living on the island of Ikaria in Greece. She specializes in the quality of Archaeologous guided tours to the area where pomegranates first grew, namely Turkey, which some scholars claim is the location of the Garden of Eden.
Below, I put together a few pictures that Robyn sent me for a glimpse of the places, people, and things that can fill your senses while on an Archaeologous Turkey tour!
Views of cultural sites in Turkey – Quality tours and healing works with Robyn Whatley-Kahn
Turkey is loaded with biblical history. Noah’s Ark landed on Mount Ararat (Agri Dagi) in Eastern Turkey. Ephesus in Turkey is the burial ground of St. John which is now a huge Basilica of St. John (in ruins and excavations) When walking in Ephesus, you are walking the footsteps of Apostle Paul, Mother Mary as well as Cleopatra, Alexander the Great…
Robyn and I have a past of traveling and entertaining together in the 70’s girl group, The Golddiggers. Now, we are both involved in healing, I am an exercise coach/therapist and Robyn is a Body Talk practitioner. The bonds of the past powerfully unite us.
Book: Beyond Our Wildest Dreams and The Golddiggers during the mid-1970s
Pictured are Maria Lauren, Dean Martin, Linda Eichberg – (top row) Maria Lauren, Linda Eichberg: Alberici Sisters, Joyce Garro, Peggy Gohl, (bottom row) Patti Gribow and Robyn Whatley-Kahn.
In the book, Beyond Our Wildest Dream, my sister, Linda Eichberg and I fondly remember times as members of The Golddiggers during the groovy 70s. As insiders, we tell backstage stories of entertaining with icons including the Rat Pack. Those who were there, our “Golddigger” sisters and other notables share their viewpoints giving a broad perspective to this special era in showbiz history.
It was a fun time of sisterhood and friendship when the TV Variety Show was prime and celebrity legends ruled the Las Vegas strip.
Our readers have found it to be a sweet escape!
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‘Within one pomegranate there are many berries/seeds that burst of a sweet tartness, just like the experiences and people that fill my life.’ – Maria Elena Alberici
Wishing you the sweetness of life,
Maria Lauren, aka Maria Elena Alberici
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