A vibrant red
Recipe #15: pomegranate nectar

When I was a year old I loved running around the backyard barefoot. My grandmother worried that parasite eggs could pass through the skin and enter the human body, and that children could be infected. She recommended that my mother buy pomegranates because they can help remove the parasites. I don't know if there is any truth or scientific evidence of this. Because pomegranates taste very good, my mother bought some anyway. We would buy them every year, and they were one of my favorite fruita. The pulp-covered seeds were like rubies. When we saw pomegranate trees for sale, we decided to buy one to plant. They are special in that the blossom is the most beautiful when the fruit is still growing. Many Chinese poets would use them to describe pretty young ladies in pretty skirts, and how attractive they were. Not only do pomegranates taste good, they have a romantic story. If we are lucky and the weather is warm enough, we would get many fruits. My mother would peel them into ready-to-eat seeds for me and my father to enjoy. She would also blend them into nectar.

Pomegranates are becoming increasingly valuable in health (it can indeed remove parasites), due to their nutrition. However, for some reason, the pomegranate juice sold in supermarkets often taste salty, not very good, even though they were supposedly 100% fruit juice. Thus, my mother makes her own. If there are extra fruits, we can store them in the freezer and blend them later. Our friends treat the nectar like the food of kings because nobody would give them something so good to drink.

Ingredients

1. 3 cups pomegranate seeds
2. 2 cups water
3. 1-2 Tbsp. honey

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients in a blender, using grind.
2. Using a sieve, remove the seeds and pulp.

Tips

1. You must use enough pomegranate seeds in order to have enough juice. Otherwise, it will be very diluted. One rule of thumb is to add water until it covers the seeds in a blender, at which point the juice should be concentrated enough.
2. Because our pomegranates are very sweet, only 1 Tbsp. of honey is needed. For those from supermarktes that may not be as sweet, you may need to adjust the honey.