Homemade gifts - Pomegranate Jelly

For many, pomegranates are a mysterious fruit that are purely decorative during holiday season. For me, pomegranates are a super fruit that appear in my salads, glazes, desserts, drinks and at  breakfast.
One thing that is always present at my breakfast table is pomegranate jelly, which is also a consistent part of my Christmas gift baskets. The more I learn about the health benefits of pomegranates and its antioxidant power, the more I want to include in my day-to-day living.
If you are not familiar with how to open and make juice out of fresh pomegranates please check out my previous post about pomegranate juice. 

  

Pomegranate Jelly

I have always made pomegranate jelly using only my homemade pomegranate juice. I keep the juice in the refrigerator for a couple of days before attempting to make jelly. You will have sediment at the bottom after two days. Use only clear juice to make this jelly and discard the sediment.

Yield: Six 8-ounce jars  

•  3 1/2 cups pomegranate Juice
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (optional)
• One package (1.75 ounce)  Sure Jell powdered fruit Pectin 
• 5 cups granulated sugar 

In a medium saucepan, combine pomegranate and lemon juice along with pectin and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Skim off all the foam. Add sugar all at once. Stir once and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minute. 
Ladle the hot liquid into sterilized jars. Wipe rims and screw on lids. Process in the boiling-water bath for 5 minutes.

Trader Joe's Simply Indian (both printed and kindle version) is available to buy at Amazon. Trader Joe's Simply Indian is a compilation of gourmet Indian recipes made from fresh and ready to use ingredients available at Trader Joe's.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

Sharing at:
Foodie Friday 
French country cottage 
Show and Tell 
Tablescape Thursday 
Pink Saturday 
Seasonal Sundays 
Clever Chicks 
Tabletop Tuesday 

Pomegranate juice

After all that pomegranate harvest, it is time to make good use of my harvest. In addition to pomegranates being the antioxidant powerhouse, they also provide polyphenols, a compound that reduces the risk of pancreatic cancer. Now, there is a reason to include pomegranates into our daily life.

You can buy fresh pomegranate juice from the store. But if you are someone like me who has an abundance of pomegranates from the garden, here is a way to make juice from the fresh fruit. If anyone has any better idea about how to make this juice, please let me know.

Pomegranate Juice

Yield about 1 cup

• 2-4 fresh pomegranates

Remove the seeds from the pomegranates. Here is the best way to seed a pomegranate under water. Using a food processor, pulse seeds 4 - 5 times and pass through a sieve lined with a cheese cloth set over a bowl to collect the juice. Squeeze all the juice from the cheese cloth and discard seeds. 

Alternately, cut pomegranates in half horizontally and juice them using a manual or electric citrus juicer.
 

You can keep the juice in the refrigerator up to a week.

Trader Joe's Simply Indian (both printed and kindle version) is available to buy at Amazon. Trader Joe's Simply Indian is a compilation of gourmet Indian recipes made from fresh and ready to use ingredients available at Trader Joe's.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

Sharing at:

Stone gable 
Common Ground 

Last Fall Harvest at the Nunna Farm

Even though it is wet and drizzling here in California, we started  our last fall harvest from the orchard. This year, our pomegranates have done better than any other year before. I would never dream of wasting any fruit that is grown in our orchard. I have been very busy drying persimmons and making pomegranate jams for my Christmas gift baskets. Even though I am appreciative and feel blessed with this overabundance of pomegranates and persimmons, I think I am ready for a break from harvesting.

Stay tuned for recipe for pomegranate jelly in future posts.

Trader Joe's Simply Indian (both printed and kindle version) is available to buy at Amazon. Trader Joe's Simply Indian is a compilation of gourmet Indian recipes made from fresh and ready to use ingredients available at Trader Joe's.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including vegetarian, gluten free and vegan recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.

Sharing at:
Metamorphosis Monday
Seasonal Sundays  
A stroll thru life 
Wow - Us - Wednesday
French Country Cottage 
Pink Saturday 

Pomegranates: The Super Fruit

As I walk into the supermarket's produce aisles during the fall season, my eyes light up at the sight of pomegranates. Pomegranates are one of the fruits that was written about in ancient Greek mythology. The pomegranate, a super fruit as I call it, is becoming a  popular sight in American supermarkets. Pomegranate seeds are like jewels, which I use as my favorite garnish for lemon rice, yogurt rice and salads.

Pomegranates are native to Persia. The drought-tolerant pomegranate tree has been cultivated in Persia, Iran, Afgahnistan, Russia and the northern part of India for several millenia.

In my village in India, my grandmother's house had a pomegranate tree. But that tree never saw a ripened fruit, because my younger brother, Bhasker and I used to eat all the fruits before they reached maturity. Sometimes my grandmother used to tie a piece of fabric around the fruit to camouflage the fruit to preserve them until their mature stage.  But they never used to escape our x-ray eyes. Now I have three trees in my orchard overflowing with fruit. But my passion for pomegranates never diminished. I love pomegranates now as much as I loved them as a child.

The pomegranate's antioxidant power is enormous along with the spice turmeric. In Indian ancient Ayurvedic medicine, pomegranates were extensively used as remedies for thousands of years, including the bark of tree and rind of the fruit. In Ayurvedic medicine, it is believed that pomegranate juice and seeds are the healthful counterbalance for diets rich in sugar and fat. One research study showed that in a test tube, extracts of the fruit can inhibit the spreading of human breast cancer cells and several other cancer cells.

Pomegranate juice has been a popular drink from street vendors in India. Dried pomegranate seed powder called anardhana is used as a spice in Indian food . Anardhana is a souring agent in spice blends such as chaat masala powder. I freeze pomegranate juice to enjoy it throughout the year in cocktails such as pomegranate martinis and margaritas or just to enjoy it as a refreshing drink in the morning. I glaze my meats with pomegranate molasses. A popular traditional Persian dish fesenjan, has sauce that is made from pomegranate juice and ground walnuts that is spooned over chicken. 

 I hope I inspire you to include pomegranates in your diet. They are so good for you!

 Guess what I I decorate my house with during the holiday season? Pomegranates, of course!

  The tree is overbearing with fruit.

For more memorable centerpieces, tablescapes, and recipes (including gluten free recipes), please check out my book, Entertaining From an Ethnic Indian Kitchen, at my website komalinunna.com.
 

I am joining Susan's Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday and Outdoor Wednesday.