Edible Paradise celebrates the year-round abundance of the highest quality, freshest food grown on the Central Coast by our family farmers at the Monterey Bay Certified Farmers Markets. If you enjoy preparing and eating locally grown food, this blog is for you!

RECIPES: Pan Toasted Brie with Pomegranate Raspberry Sauce, Turkey Cutlets with Roasted Fennel and Pomegrante Glaze, Dried Cranberries and Walnuts Spinach Salad with Pomegranate Vinaigrette, Guacamole Chamacuero, Persian Lamb

The name "pomegranate" derives from Latin pomum (‘apple’) and granatus (‘seeded’). Jewish scholars believe that the pomegranate was the original “forbidden fruit” of the Garden of Eden. The pomegranate has been a prominent symbol in many religions and cultures since Biblical times, when Moses promised his followers that they would find the fruit in the Promised Land, to the 18th century, when Spanish sailors introduced it to the southern United States. Cultivated since ancient times, the pomegranate is native to the region from Iran to northern India. The pomegranate is now cultivated widely in California and Arizona for juice production.

RECIPES: Vanilla Port Poached Pears with Blue Cheese and Walnuts, Baked Pears with Caramel Sauce, Honey Pear Bran Muffins, Raisin Pear Pie, Stilton Cheese Gateaux with Onion Pear Relish, and Spinach Pear Salad with Maple and Brown Mustard Vinaigrette

Pears are one of the world’s most alluring fruits with its voluptuous contour and buttery textured flesh. A perfectly ripe, luscious pear is without peer as a sweet pleasure of Fall. This ancient fruit captured the praise of the well-known Greek poet, Homer (8th century B.C.), who referred to pears as a “gift of the gods.” The Romans developed over 50 varieties of pears and introduced the cultivated pear to Europe. The California Bartlett is an ancestor of a pear originating in Berkshire, England from the 17^th century. California grown pears include Bartlett, Bosc, Sekel, Comice, Starkrimson (red pears), D’Anjou, Forelle, and Packhams.