Tuesday, November 6, 2012

I called it an Indian Apple

When I was a child I can remember going to the fruit stand with my Mom and begging her to buy me an "Indian Apple."  I would delight in eating one seed at a time for the rest of the day. My fingers would be stained red by the time I was done. This memory flooded my mind when I saw the pomegranates, which I had grown up calling Indian apples, at Whole Foods, and I had to buy one.


These seeds are amazing. And beautiful. The color alone is magnificent! 

Here are some facts I found on Buzzle:

       Health Benefits of Pomegranate Seeds
  • Due to this heavy pomegranate seeds nutrition content, this 'magic fruit' comes as a bliss in maintaining our heart health, as regular intake of pomegranate helps evade heart diseases and reduces the risk of suffering from a stroke.
  • The seeds help thin the blood, lower high blood pressure levels, increase blood flow towards the heart, maintain good cholesterol levels, and reduce arterial plaque.
  • Apart from the many ways it benefits the heart, the seeds are known to improve arthritis, osteoporosis, skin allergies, skin disorders, urinary tract infections, sore throats, tapeworms, digestive disorders, blood impurities, osteoarthritis, and diabetes.
  • Modern scientists also suggest that pomegranate seeds can aid in the cure of prostate and skin cancer.
  • It has also proven helpful in getting rid of the body's, and the digestive system's fats in particular.
Read more at Buzzle: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/pomegranate-seeds-nutrition.html

Well, I never knew any of that when I was growing up! I should be eating them all the time! And ironically enough, this is the first time I have purchased a pomegranate as an adult! I assure you it won't be the last. This baby over-filled a pint size jar with seeds! So I have plenty to use for . . . a day or two!

Other than overdosing on them as I seeded the pomegranate, I decided to use them as a colorful and tasty addition to a salad. I was inspired by a recipe in a new eBook I just bought, Intuitive Eating by Paul Risse with Penni Shelton.


Isn't it pretty! I used greens from the farmer's market, chopped cucumber, red onions, apple slices, and avocado, and garnished it with walnuts and pomegranate seeds. The dressing, which was from Paul's book, really was the frosting on the cake. It had olive oil, orange juice and orange zest, apple cider vinegar, salt and cinnamon. It was the cinnamon that teased the taste buds and made this dressing perfect.

The other part of perfect was our weather today in Oklahoma. It was one of those glorious Autumn days where the leaves dressed in their colorful finest, against a vivid blue sky, with no wind and warm sun made me want to stay outside all day. It was delightful to sit outside and gaze at all of Mother Nature's beauty while I ate this delicious salad.





I watched this butterfly for a long time. What a lucky shot!



I loved this day. They are few and far between, and I am so grateful that I was able to enjoy it. So go check out the information on pomegranates, and go buy one, or two, and enjoy!

I still don't know why we called them "Indian Apples" when I was growing up?  Do you?

14 comments:

  1. I thought I was crazy because I remember calling them Indian Apples as well in Detroit! Never heard the word Pomegranate until I was a teenager

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    1. My Father grew up in Detroit and called he called them Indian Apples. Like you I never heard Pomegranate. I thought the "Indian" referred to Native American

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  2. Detroit also, here. I am 36 and I just put 2 and 2 together that the "Indian apples" my grandmother used to bring us are "pomegranates"!

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  3. I am from Pennsylvania, and also ate Indian apples as a child. That is what my mom called them, so I thought that was the correct name to them. A pomegranate will always be an Indian Apple to me :)

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    1. Me too. That is exactly the way and how I came to know them as indian apples

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  4. I always thought that they came out in the markets during Indian Summer. I am a grandmother now, so this was so long ago, when specialty fruits were seasonal: strawberries only in the early summer; corn in August; apples in the fall. Now harvests around the world are brought to the market and stores. But back then, pomegranates (Indian apples) were only during Indian Summer (An unseasonably warm, dry and calm weather, usually following a period of colder weather or frost in the late Autumn)

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  5. Just cleaned one and had nice memories of my Mom, she couldn't open them fast enough for us kids. We also called them Indian Apples, we also snacked on pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds. I always thought my Mom was ahead of her time. Also grew up in Detroit.

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    1. I just finished one myself. Always wear red! I think of my mom also, while seeding them or buying them. Pumpkin seeds from the corner mom and pop store.... weighed on a little scale and then into a brown bag. A dime would buy enough seeds to last through reading one comic book, also from the store.-- Archie, Wendy the witch, Casper, Little Lulu.

      (Lackawanna, NY) but with relatives in Detroit.

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  6. First time I saw this fruit as a teenager it was called a Indian apple as well.

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  7. We always called them Indian apples in Pa. But I live in the south now and they look at me crazy when I call them that.

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  8. I'm from Hazel Park Michigan 78 years old and we used to call them Indian apples also.

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  9. This is such a throw back! Detroit resident as well. I always asked my mom to get me an Indian Apple. ❤️

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  10. I love them. Sounds like it's a Detroit thing. We called them Indian Apples. Farmers Jack would donate boxes to my grandmother's mission "Mother Waddles" to give away. I live in GA now, and eating one right now. In fact that how I found this sight, because I wanted to know what a real Indian apple looked like.

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  11. Oops unknown post ie I love them.. is me.

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