Although Iran holds the world title for pomegranates, runner-up Turkey is expecting a bumper crop this year that could propel it into the top spot. The Hurriyet Daily News reports that as world demand for pomegranates rises, Turkey has converted field after field of relatively unprofitable cotton over to the crowned red fruit that features prominently in the upcoming Jewish New Year (Rosh Hashana), which starts Friday.
Turkey’s pomegranate exports more than doubled between 2006 and 2008; last year it sent abroad 29,000 tons.
Experts credit the expansion to the easy payout, government incentives and skyrocketing demand. Ali Ergezer, the chairman of the chamber of agriculture in the pomegranate city of Tarsus, said the future looks good:
“There is a high opportunity in the market and a very low loss risk for pomegranate producers. We have initiatives to export to more countries the pomegranate, which is good for human health, particularly in terms of cardiovascular diseases.”
Turkey isn’t the only country ramping up production. The Israeli export company Agrexco announced in August that 6,500 tons will go abroad this year, double last year’s figure.
If you just bought a fresh pomegranate, throw the seeds into the Green Prophet salad. Otherwise, you can juice them, eat the seeds alone, or maybe even use them in a tart pastry. Shana Tova.
:: Photo from HurriyetDailyNews.com
Author: Daniella Cheslow
Daniella Cheslow grew up in a car-dependent suburb in New Jersey, where she noticed strip malls and Wal-Marts slowly replacing farmland. Her introduction to nature came through hiking trips in Israel. As a counselor for a freshman backpacking program at Northwestern University, Daniella noticed that Americans outdoors seemed to need to arm themselves with performance clothing, specialized water bottles and sophisticated camping silverware. This made her think about how to interact with and enjoy nature simply. This year, Daniella is getting a Master’s in Geography from Ben Gurion University of the Negev. She also freelance writes, photographs and podcasts. In her free time, she takes day trips in the desert, drops off compost and cooks local foods like stuffed zucchini, kubbeh and majadara. Daniella gets her peak oil anxiety from James Howard Kunstler and her organic food dreams from Michael Pollan. Read more at her blog, TheTruthHerzl.com. Daniella can be reached at daniella (at) greenprophet (dot) com.
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