By MALIK MERCHANT

I eagerly await the opening of Calgary Farmers’ Market West each Wednesday. Its sister market in the south end opens a day later. Both are open through Sunday, while Crossroads in the south opens Friday. Each market offers an enticing array of choices for consumers to shop for fresh fruits, vegetables, bread, and meats, as well as unique, one-of-a-kind spices, desserts, vitamins, and homemade artifacts. It’s a joy to visit the markets and enjoy freshly prepared meals. The west side is the newest and has plenty of seating in the centre aisle, with shops on either side.

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Recently, I’ve been spotting these massive pomegranates at grocery stores, and they’re a total steal at just $2.99. On my last trip to Market West, I couldn’t resist picking up two of these large pomegranates. Now, I’m all too familiar with the struggle of cutting and separating the fruit from its inner skin. The fear of the juice squirting onto your clothes can be pretty daunting. Yes, an apron can be the answer, but I have a better solution. It’s a technique I learned from a TV program I watched almost 40 years ago in Ottawa. And I can guarantee it’s mess-free! No more worrying about stains. I’ve just cut one while wearing a new sale-priced table tennis tee shirt from the Boathouse! Who wants to look messy in the courtroom with untidy red stains on a sporty green shirt?

It is this method that has made me an ardent pomegranate fanatic. So this is what I do. On a board, I slice the pomegranate into half. I then dip the halves into a deep bowl of water at a temperature that suits you best and use my thumbs to roll away the juicy red arils from the white pith!

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I remove as much floating pith from the bowl as possible and then use a drainer to capture the fruit! The picture shows the second pomegranate I have yet to cut and the bowl from the first. I encounter shoppers who want to buy pomegranates but dread cutting them and separating the fruit from the pith, and I tell them my story! My time spent cutting the fruit was about seven minutes. The fruit was so juicy that I finished the bowl in equal time!

The pomegranate is mentioned as follows in the Qur’an, along with other fruits.

“It is He who sent down out of heaven water, and thereby We have brought forth the shoot of every plant, and then We have brought forth the green leaf of it, bringing forth from it close-compounded grain, and out of the palm-tree, from the spathe of it, dates thick-lustered, ready to the hand, and gardens of vines, olives, pomegranates, like each to each, and each unlike to each. Look upon their fruits when they fructify and ripen! Surely, in all this are signs for a people who do believe — 6:99, translated by A.J. Arberry (see Corpus Qur’an for multiple translations of the verse).

A favourite fruit used in juices and syrups, the pomegranate is a massive part of many cultures today. Appearing in the Qur’an three times, the pomegranate is often mentioned about Heaven and God’s gift to humankind. The fruit is nutritious. While its protein and fat contents are insignificant, it is naturally high in vitamin C, and potassium, low in calories and a great source of fibre. In a piece entitled “Health benefits of pomegranates extend throughout the body,” Dr. David Heber, MD, founding director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, writes that pomegranate has the largest and most potent polyphenol antioxidant known. Healthline mentions 10 benefits of eating pomegranate.

So buy and eat pomegranates regularly, follow my method of cutting them, and enjoy them without creating a mess!

Date posted: December 19, 2024.

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