After two “fairly short” years, California’s pomegranate volume should be moving back to normal this season.
Pomegranates had “an exceptional bloom in comparison to last year,” said Tom Tjerandsen, manager of the Sonoma, Calif.-based Pomegranate Council.
Last year, heavy rain and hail during the bloom and a lot of bloom drop led to a crop that was about 18% below the normal harvest, he said.
“From then on out, the weather was fine, but there wasn’t a lot of fruit on the tree,” he said.
He expected the state’s pomegranate growers to produce about 6 million to 6.5 million 25-pound box equivalents of pomegranates this season.
Typically 20%-25% of California’s pomegranates are exported.
Tjerandsen sees continuing heavy demand from overseas markets, “but a lot of uncertainty about transportation” as airlines cut back on flights and ships are not making deliveries at the same rates they have in the past.
There was a question whether Pacific Rim customers will be able to buy as much pomegranate product as they have previously, he said.
“We’re hoping all that’s resolved before mid-October, when we start the heaviest part of our shipping season.”
The California pomegranate harvest typically starts south of Bakersfield in the Wheeler Ridge area in mid- to late August, he said.
The early foothill variety and other smaller-volume varieties begin to move into the distribution pipelines with smooth sailing until the second week of October, Tjerandsen said.
That’s when the wonderful variety comes on, which accounts for about 70% of the harvest.
The early foothills tend to be smaller, paler and have lower brix levels than the wonderful pomegranates, he said.
But those who are eager for the first California pomegranates are quick to snatch them up.
Foodservice operators use the foothills to start the recipe cycle that includes fresh pomegranates, Tjerandsen said.
“It’s really the wonderful that is the workhorse,” he said.
Although a few pomegranates are grown in Utah, Georgia, Texas and Arizona, and the Pomegranate Artichokes & Crafts Festival is held in Logandale, Nev., in early November, 95% or more of the domestic pomegranates are grown in California between Bakersfield and Fresno, Tjerandsen said.
Growers harvest pomegranates as long as they can, often well into November, but rain can be bad news.
If water gets into branches and down into the fruit before the harvest, the fruit splits.
“Once a pomegranate splits, it can’t even be used for juice, so it has no value,” he said.
Growers can ship out of storage until the end of February.
Juice is the main use for pomegranates, but tray-packed arils also can be found in the refrigerated section of the produce department.
Tjerandsen said the fruit is gaining popularity as consumers gain a greater understanding of the power of antioxidants, and as they discover them incorporated into menus at restaurants.
“They’re certainly, with the help of the foodservice industry, arriving in the mainstream,” he said.
There are “a million different ways” to serve pomegranates at foodservice, Tjerandsen said.
A restaurant operator who sprinkles pomegranate arils over a green salad can add $1 to the price, he said.
They can be sprinkled on a plate to add a dash of color or added to marinades or sauces, but the majority are consumed as a snack out of hand.
The internet has a plethora of suggestions about how to open a pomegranate and extract the arils.
Some people put them in bowl and munch on them instead of peanuts while they watch TV, he said.
They’re more of an impulse item at retail, and they’re often merchandised in bins or shippers provided by major suppliers.
That’s an advantage to the retailer, he said.
“All they have to do is find a space on the floor.”
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