As fall approaches, temperatures drop, leaves fall, and days shorten. Warm up with this tasty apple cider recipe!
Ingredients:
- 4 Granny Smith apples ($3.16)
- 4 pomegranates ($2.76)
- 2 tsp. brown sugar
- a dash of cinnamon
Preparation:
You can use store bought pomegranate juice and apple juice, but making the juice yourself adds to the feeling of fall. Juicing pomegranates is very time consuming, but delicious enough to warrant the effort. Here is a quick explanation on how to juice a pomegranate. Slice a circle around the top of the pomegranate and remove the top pulp. WARNING: Pomegranate juice STAINS! Wear an apron and be careful and gentle while deseeding.
Slice halfway through the pomegranate along the white pulp lines and peel in half with your hands.
Gently separate the seeds from the pulp and place them in a large bowl. Keep breaking small sections apart.
When all of the seeds are extracted, fill the bowl with water. The excess pulp will float on the top along with any seeds attached to the pulp. The rest of the seeds will sink to the bottom. This makes it easier to sift through the seeds and completely remove all of the pulp.
Strain the seeds. Place them into a blender and pulse a couple of times, just enough to jostle the seeds, releasing the juice. Blending the seeds too much will result in shards of hard, inner seed in your juice.
Place a mesh strainer over a large bowl and strain the juice from the inner seeds. Push around the pulp and seeds to force the juice into the bowl. Squeeze small clusters of inner seeds to extract the most possible juice.
This lengthy process yields a small amount of juice, so it is best to juice pomegranates in bulk. Set the bowl of pomegranate juice aside.
Core and slice the apples into strips. Juice the apple slices in a blender or juicer.
Combine the juices in a small saucepan and set it on medium low heat. Stir in the brown sugar and a dash of cinnamon when the juice starts to steam. After the sugar is dissolved, the cider is ready! This delicious fall treat will add some spice to your morning routine and kickstart any gathering or party.
Did you know?
Pomegranate season is usually from September through February. This seasonal fruit has deep roots in Jewish culture and also appears in the Bible, Quran, and numerous other ancient texts. On the second night of Rosh Hashanah, pomegranates are eaten as the "new fruit". Pomegranates supposedly have 613 seeds, each symbolizing one of the 613 mitzvoth. Mitzvoth are the commandments laid out in the Torah. By eating the seeds, Jews demonstrate their desire to fulfill all 613 mitzvoth, symbolically welcoming the new year.
The etymology lies in medieval latin. Pōmum, meaning apple, and grānātum, meaning seeded, combine to suggest a seeded apple. Greek mythology refers to the pomegranate as the "fruit of the dead," said to have come from the blood of Adonis. In the 6th century AD, Hera is portrayed in a sculpture with a scepter in one hand and a pomegranate in the other, symbolizing a "royal orb". Pomegranates are engraved on a coin in the ancient city of Side in Pamphylia. Pomegranates are one of the Seven Species of fruits and grains listed in the Hebrew Bible (Deuteronomy 8:8) as being special products of the Land of Israel. Theory suggests that the scouts brought Moses pomegranates to show the fertility of the Promised Land. In the Quran, pomegranates are said to grow plentifully in the gardens of paradise.
In other words, if there is an afterlife, heaven, nirvana, or Summerland, at least there will be pomegranates!
Pomegranate seeds are referred to as arils. Most of the nutrition in pomegranates is in the inner seed. These contain Vitamin C, K, and dietary fiber. Studies have shown that consuming pomegranate juice for two weeks tends to lower systolic blood pressure in people with hypertension. According to this article, pomegranates are said to protect against prostate cancer, slow cartilage loss in arthritis, and even help diabetics. It is widely believed that pomegranates are very high in antioxidants that lower free-radical levels in the body.
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