Hello CSA Members!
We are excited here at Frog Hollow Farm for Valentine’s Day because we have finally made jelly from the pomegranate juice we painstakingly juiced last year. Anyone who has a pomegranate tree or any large quantity knows how painful it is to extract the juice from pomegranates.
We have tried countless ways, cutting them in half and using a citrus juicer, grinding the seeds in a food processor and straining the juice out but all methods impart bitterness from the tannins in the membrane and skin and seeds.
The best way is to extract the arils, by hand, a tedious process separating the arils from the membrane. It takes 2 people an hour and 20 minutes to deseed about 15 pounds of fruit. Then, another person takes roughly 25 minutes to press the seeds in a hydraulic press juicer like our Norwalk juicer. The seeds are put in a little pouch that holds about 3 cups of seeds and it is slowly but surely pressed to extract the purest juice possible. All this time and effort yields a scant 8c of pomegranate juice.
Our pomegranate jelly is made from this juice. It is $7.65 for a 4 oz jar (yes, pricey I know but, now you know why!) and it is included in one of our Valentine’s Day gift packs available on our website. You can also buy it individually. We have been amazed at the response. Apparently, pomegranate jelly is not that easy to find and good pomegranate jelly is practically non-existent. Many are made with corn syrup and water or way too much sugar. Ours is made with our organic juice, of course, organic evaporated cane juice and pectin; that’s it! We are excited about pomegranates and all the possibilities so we are planting more. And we are always on the lookout for a new juicing method that will save us time so we can pass that savings along to our customers. Until then, we will continue with our labor of love…
Cheers,
Chef Becky
A note from chef becky: February 8th
Hello CSA Members!
We are excited here at Frog Hollow Farm for Valentine’s Day because we have finally made jelly from the pomegranate juice we painstakingly juiced last year. Anyone who has a pomegranate tree or any large quantity knows how painful it is to extract the juice from pomegranates.
We have tried countless ways, cutting them in half and using a citrus juicer, grinding the seeds in a food processor and straining the juice out but all methods impart bitterness from the tannins in the membrane and skin and seeds.
The best way is to extract the arils, by hand, a tedious process separating the arils from the membrane. It takes 2 people an hour and 20 minutes to deseed about 15 pounds of fruit. Then, another person takes roughly 25 minutes to press the seeds in a hydraulic press juicer like our Norwalk juicer. The seeds are put in a little pouch that holds about 3 cups of seeds and it is slowly but surely pressed to extract the purest juice possible. All this time and effort yields a scant 8c of pomegranate juice.
Our pomegranate jelly is made from this juice. It is $7.65 for a 4 oz jar (yes, pricey I know but, now you know why!) and it is included in one of our Valentine’s Day gift packs available on our website. You can also buy it individually. We have been amazed at the response. Apparently, pomegranate jelly is not that easy to find and good pomegranate jelly is practically non-existent. Many are made with corn syrup and water or way too much sugar. Ours is made with our organic juice, of course, organic evaporated cane juice and pectin; that’s it! We are excited about pomegranates and all the possibilities so we are planting more. And we are always on the lookout for a new juicing method that will save us time so we can pass that savings along to our customers. Until then, we will continue with our labor of love…
Cheers,
Chef Becky