Organic Garden Club Members had a blast mingling during Paul Talley’s Pomegranate Taste Testing! 

We tried six different varieties, going from sweetest to more astringent: Sogdiana, Sirenevyi, Parfianka, Karakalinski, Syunt, Ariana. Every variety was delicious and rich in heart, brain, and digestive health properties. 

Many of our members are growing pomegranates in their backyards! 

Paul showed us bags he found to protect his fruit from critters. He prunes to shape the pomegranate tree and remove suckers one foot off the ground to prevent disease. He told us when he used pruned pomegranate branches to stake his trees, they sprouted into new life!

It was so much fun to taste, see, and hear about these varieties from Doctor Gregory Levin’s abandoned Kara Kala Agronomic Research Station in Turkmenistan in 2002 and are all soft seeded varieties. 

These new varieties haven’t received much commercial play, as it is hard to determine the right varietal for the right location. Parfianka is considered one of the best of Doctor Levin’s finds and is currently available from Dave Wilson Nursery. They will also add Levin’s Ariana and Desertnyi to their lineup this year. Wonderful gets planted the most as it is adaptable to a wide range of soils and climates.