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ORGANIC FIELD GUIDE ORGANIC FIELD GUIDE
COMMON EDIBLE PLANTS GROW IT EAT IT LOVE IT
Health Power
Pomegranates have many vital vitamins and minerals. They also contain
polyphenols, tannins, anthocyanins and ellagic acid, all highly beneficial
phytonutrients that lower the risk of many diseases. All act as antioxidants,
helping disarm damaging free radicals as they form. Most valuable, these
phytonutrients might inhibit the initiation/growth of cancer cells. They also
help the immune system with antibacterial, anti-viral and anti-inflammatory
properties. Pomegranates also help thin the blood, increasing blood flow,
oxygen delivery to tissues and exchange of compounds to and from organs.
Thinning blood and donating antioxidants prevents cholesterol from being
converted into a sticky form that begins the process of plaque buildup. The
polyphenols and folate help protect and maintain elasticity in the blood
vessels, which lightens the pumping load on the heart. Pomegranates are
one of the richest sources of dietary fiber among fruits, promoting smooth
digestion, regulating blood sugar and lowering high cholesterol. Research
shows that pomegranates contain a phytonutrient capable of blocking an
enzyme that breaks down cartilage in humans and other animals.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Vitamins – K, C, B9 (Folate), B1 (Thiamin), B5 (Pantothenic Acid), B3
(Riboflavin) and E
Minerals – Copper, Potassium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Magnesium and Zinc
Disease Prevention
Pomegranate is a promising fruit to eat for reducing the risk of heart disease,
atherosclerosis, rheumatoid and osteoarthritis and cancers of the breast, lung,
prostate and colon.
How to Grow
Native to the Middle East, these specialty fruits add beauty to the landscape
with their glossy green leaves and glowing giant red-orange flowers. They are
well adapted to many climates, but need a hot, dry summer for fruits to ripen.
Plant them in deep soil with great drainage in a sunny site sheltered from
strong winds. They will naturally develop into a bush or a small tree up to
15 feet tall and 10 feet wide. They can also be pruned as a hedge to conform to
the shape of the yard or to look pretty. Planting from both seed and cuttings
are the most popular methods. If you already have a pomegranate tree, cut
off one of the suckers and transplant it as a cutting. Sow seeds after the first frost
in the spring and/or plant cuttings in warmer weather (late spring to summer).
You can get pomegranate cuttings 1-2 feet long in February or March. Work in
compost or planting mix rich in organic matter and nutrients. Plant them so that
/ of the cutting is covered in soil. When the plant is young, water more often
(every two days) to stimulate growth and help it get established. Once growth
accelerates, and the tree sets a solid root foundation (about 2 months), give
one deep watering every couple of weeks. Fertilize twice a year (once in early
spring and fall) to help the plant grow strong, hardy and insect resistant. If you
plant from cuttings, the tree should bear after 3 years. You may get a few in the
season before. Harvest when they are the correct ripe color for the variety you are
growing (ranging from purple and red to pink).
Insect Control
Pomegranates usually are unaffected by pests or diseases that threaten yields in
the home garden. Aphids are the most common but rarely leave damage behind
unless the infestation is large and resilient. Monitor your plants. If aphids come,
spray them off with a strong stream of water. Or plant French marigolds to attract
their predators (ladybugs and hover flies) which eat aphids by the thousands.
If something else comes up, photograph the pest and see your local nursery or
agricultural extension office.
Tips
Check with the nursery to see which cultivar is best suited to grow in your area.
Remember, they need a hot, dry summer for fruit to ripen. Watch for shoots growing
up from the base of the trunk. These are suckers and should be pruned and discarded
or replanted.
Pomegranate
INGREDIENTS
1 small baking pumpkin peeled and diced
3 teaspoons honey
¼ cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup arugula leaves
1 tablespoon pomegranate seeds
INSTRUCTIONS
■ Preheat oven to 350°.
■ Put pumpkin on baking pan.
■ Drizzle with honey, olive oil, salt and pepper.
■ Bake for 20 minutes.
■ When cool place cooked pumpkins in a shallow bowl.
■ Cover with arugula and sprinkle on pomegranate seeds.
■ Drizzle with pumpkin seed oil and lemon juice.
Pomegranate Pumpkin Salad
RECIPE CARD
Health Power
Recent extensive research suggests most beneficial attributes may lie in
their phytonutrients rather than vitamins and minerals. Most notable
phytonutrients may be polyphenols, which include flavonoids and phenolic
acids. Flavonoids quercetin and resveratrol help prevent free radicals from
oxidizing the bad type of cholesterol (LDL), turning it into a form that later
leads to arterial damage and plaque buildup. They maintain normal blood
vessel dilation and prevent blood clots that can cause strokes. Contain
saponins, believed to reduce absorption of cholesterol and slow the
biochemical pathways leading to inflammation. Resveratrol and others play
a large role in both of those health benefits and also prevent the secretion
of the hormone angiotensin II, which can lead to stiffening of the heart.
Contain pterostilbene, a promising compound for metabolizing fats, including
cholesterol. Resveratrol, highly concentrated in red wine, is antibacterial and
antifungal, making grapes a good fighter of food borne illness. Antioxidant
action ditches free radicals and optimizes health of circulatory system, making
grapes a great promoter of overall health. Nutrients available several ways:
eating grapes fresh, drinking wine and juice or eating toast with grape jam.
Vitamin and Mineral Content
Vitamins – C, B1 (Thiamin) and B6 (Pyridoxine)
Minerals – Manganese and Potassium
Disease Prevention
Significantly reduces risk of heart disease and atherosclerosis. Research
suggests consuming resveratrol may help protect DNA from damage leading
to lung cancer or other damage leading to prostate, liver, colorectal and
breast cancer. May also lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
How to Grow
Grapes prefer sunny site with great drainage. Produce fruit from second year
forward. Self-fertile, so not essential to grow more than one variety.
(Nice to have a few different flavors.) Many different cultivars make
it possible to grow grapes almost everywhere. Certain locations
(like the Deep South) suitable to grow grapes only for jelly, juice
or wine. Ask experts what varieties and types work best in your
area. Before planting, amend the soil around the planting area
with plenty of organic matter and adjust the pH to around 6.0.
Get year-old vines from nursery. Support with a wire or grow
along a fence or over an arch in backyard. Nurseryman can tell
you how to train them. Soak roots in a bucket of water with a
handful of micronutrient rich fertilizer for a few hours before
planting. Plant 5 feet apart in spring while still dormant before
buds begin to swell. Once planted, cut each vine down to leave
just two or three healthy looking buds. After planting and each
spring, mulch underneath the area with well-aged compost or
manure. If growing grapes to eat fresh, prune out any odd-shaped
or diseased, and remove berries regularly in random spots in each
cluster to allow others to grow larger. Harvest when stems turn
brown and fruit is nice and sweet. Cut off clusters with pruning shears
and store in cool, shady spot where they will last for about a month.
Insect Control
Pests include birds, wasps, grape berry moths, Japanese beetles and red spider
mite. Birds can be completely stopped only by covering with netting or some
type of row cover. Birds also love mulberries. Plant a mulberry tree nearby to
help distract them away from grapes. To control wasps, fill a container with a
sweet liquid (like juice) and cover the container with a lid having a small hole.
Wasps will crawl in and not find their way out. Grape berry moths lay eggs on
the flowers; purplish larvae feed on buds and flowers. Hang pheromone traps
to control. For Japanese beetles, shake them off in the morning and set out
bait containers that trap them. Most nurseries have pheromone or other baited
traps. To stop red spider mite, keep plants moist by regular spraying with water.
If resilient, spray with organic insecticidal soap or oil.
Tips
If the growth seems slow, apply a handful per vine of nutrient-rich fertilizer like
kelp meal, fish bone meal, or alfalfa meal. One study found red wine contains
about triple the valuable phytonutrients (like resveratrol) of white wine.
Downside of regular wine drinking is the adverse affects of alcohol. Avoid this
by drinking alcohol-free wine or 3 glasses of grape juice daily.
Grapes