A Pomegranate is a very healthy fruit for everyone and everyone should have it at least once a day. Morning is the most preferable time to have fruits or fresh fruit juices. Pomegranates grow on trees and they are available in the markets mostly in winter. It takes pomegranates almost three years to ripe. Every country has different weather so the time of harvest always differs from one another. In this article, we will try to answer a very important question of how to know when a pomegranate is ripe.
Pomegranates are very juicy fruits when they are ripe and there are a few ways to tell that. Pomegranate juice is also very healthy and they have a sweet taste. It has many little seeds inside it which are filled with delicious juice. We can eat them as it is or we can squeeze their juice to drink. Sometimes kids get picky about eating their fruits and at that time the juice can help us a lot.
In this article, we will talk all about pomegranates and what color they should be if they are ripe. We will also talk about the ways to tell if a pomegranate is ripe or not because it can save us a lot of time in markets.
1. What Color Pomegranates are Good
A pomegranate is a great fruit because it has a lot of different nutrients in it. It can be a little tricky to buy the ripe pomegranates without opening them and the colour of the pomegranates can help us in that. The dark-coloured pomegranates are also better because they are sweet and they are fleshy on the inside. Pomegranates are available in colours from light red to dark red. Anyone can easily tell that the dark red pomegranates always taste better than the other ones but they carry the same nutritive values.
2. Nutritive Value of a Pomegranate
The best time to eat a pomegranate is in the morning because it provides us with the most nutrients at that time of the day. You might have seen people suggesting to eat one pomegranate each day if they have low hemoglobin levels. Pomegranates can help you gain more red blood cells if you have a low hemoglobin level. Doctors also suggest this to people suffering from anemia.
Pomegranates also help to prevent cancer because it increases the level of white blood cells in our body. They are known for fighting infections that come into our bodies. It also helps to melt lumps in our bodies which is one of the main reasons to cause cancer.
Pomegranates are rich in fibre and can keep your stomach in check. You will never have to deal with any constipation if you include a pomegranate in your daily diet. A pomegranate is a great source of vitamin C because it keeps our skin healthy and smooth all the time. It has some other nutrients too like vitamin B12 and it is essential for our overall health along with our bone health.
3. Different Methods to Know When a Pomegranate is Ripe
When it comes to buying fruits it is important to buy ripe ones to save money and resources. There are many different ways available to know if a fruit is ripe or not and in this section we will mainly focus on the ways to know when a pomegranate is ripe.
3.01 Observing the Color of a Pomegranate
The colour can tell a lot when it comes to the fruits. While buying pomegranates keenly observe the color of the pomegranates. When the pomegranates are light red it means they are still unripe and it would need them some time to get ripe. If you want to store them for some time then buy them otherwise leave those pomegranates.
If the pomegranates have a dark red color then it is safe to say they are ready to eat and we can instantly consume them. The pomegranate with a dark red colour makes the juice very sweet and delicious. However, don’t keep the juice out for too long because it is better to consume the fruit juice right after you make it.
3.02 Observe the Shape of the Pomegranates
Some people might be thinking that the rounder the pomegranate the better but it is not the case here. If the pomegranates are perfectly round that means they are unripe and the seeds inside them are still not ready to eat. When a pomegranate is unripe the seeds inside are light in weight and they are loosely packed so it causes the skin of the pomegranate to take a perfectly round shape. If you want ripe pomegranates then look for the pomegranates with more of a square shape than the round ones. You can figure out this by feeling the skin of the pomegranates with your fingers.
3.03 Observe the Weight of a Pomegranate
We can say this is the best way to tell when a pomegranate is ripe. When you will choose the pomegranates with lighter weight it would mean that they have less juice in them. If the seeds inside the pomegranates have more flesh on them they will have more juice and the heavier they will weigh. If you want to buy ripe pomegranates then choose the heavier ones.
You can also choose the weighing machine available in the store to weigh each pomegranate separately. If you don’t want to do that then simply compare the weight of one pomegranate with the other one. You can use all the methods together to know if a pomegranate is ripe or not. It can be very beneficial for our pocket and will prevent us from wasting money on unripe fruits.
3.04 Fingernail Test
This method can help you with almost all the fruits with skin. In this method, you have to use your fingernail to scratch the pomegranate. Don’t scratch it too hard otherwise, your nail will break. When the skin starts to come off when you scratch it, the pomegranate is still unripe. If the pomegranate has leathery skin and it is hard to scratch it easily it would mean that the pomegranate is ripe now and you can eat it now.
If you have a pomegranate tree of your own then also it doesn’t mean that all the pomegranates will taste the same or they will be ready at the same time. Different pomegranates have different tastes some are sweet and some are a little sore. It is best to always check by using any of the above methods that the pomegranates are ripe or unripe.
4. The Correct Way to Store Pomegranates
It is super important to store your fruits in a way that they don’t catch any germs or get contaminated. You should never leave your fruits in the open because first of all, it can make them rotten in less time. Second of all they will the germs available in the air of our home and if you have a low immune system you can get ill by doing this. If you are buying perfectly ripe pomegranates then keep them in the fridge all the time. But if you bought some unripe and some ripe pomegranates to make them last for longer then you can keep the unripe pomegranates outside your fridge. In this case, wash them before eating them.
If you have a busy schedule and can’t spend a lot of time peeling a pomegranate every time you want to eat one then you can prepare them beforehand. Take the seeds out of the pomegranates and put them in the airtight containers. Don’t forget to put the boxes in the fridge unless they will get bad quickly.
5. The Right Way to Wash Pomegranates
It is important to wash your fruits carefully because they can have a lot of germs and pesticides on their skin. Use your hands while washing them under fresh water. Now there are many different products available in the market to help us take care of our fruits and one is fruit detergent. Take some water in a bowl add some fruit detergent in it and stir it until it dissolves. Now add the pomegranates into the bowl and wash them thoroughly. Once you are done with that put your pomegranates in a strainer and wash them under tap water. Dry them with the help of a paper towel and store them in a box.
6. Final Note
In this article, we paid attention to a very important fruit and that is a pomegranate. Pomegranates are very healthy for everyone and the best time to eat them is in the morning. They are very sweet and juicy. You can either eat them as it is or you can squeeze the juice out of them. Add a little rock salt and lemon juice to your juice to enhance the flavours. Pomegranates have a lot of health benefits. You can find a few ways in this article to tell you if a pomegranate is ripe or unripe.
