Pomegranates!

One of the cooler aspects of my job is being able to enjoy the diversity of our collections, and fall is perfect for this: pomegranates and persimmons are in season.

We have a lot of different pomegranates at our location - many varieties that taste a lot better than the 'Wonderful' variety you buy in grocery stores.

Before we begin, a quick vocabulary lesson: the fleshy part you eat that covers the seed is called the ariel. 

First, Parfianka - my boss's favorite. It has a much better pomegranate flavor, with an excellent balance between sweetness and tangy. Plus, the seeds are soft making it easy to consume. 

This pomegranate is ripe, despite it's lighter color. It has a tangy taste and pink ariels. 

This one, Haku Botan, is really sour. The ariels are white, and the fruit itself is whiteish-green when ripe.

This one, like many of the pinker varieties, is really sweet. It's too sweet for me - it lacks a deep pomegranate flavor. Unfortunately, the sweeter varieties also tend to have a  much harder seed. 

                       

This is what a pomegranate tree looks like. They tend to be really bushy, have small leaves, and really impressive thorns on the branches.

But a few thorns are worth eating something this gorgeous, right?