On 11/03/2017 at 5:37 AM, Smithy said:Those are pomegranates?? They look unlike any I've ever seen. Please tell more about them.
Are the green lemons green as in 'unripe', or is that their ripe color? Can you describe how their flavor might differ from that of standard sour (Eureka or Lisbon in the USA, not sure about in China) lemons?
Yes. Those pomegranates baffled me when I first saw them. I've never bought any, but a couple turned up in a basket of fruit I was once given when in hospital (long time ago - nothing serious). They are, I think, unripe fruits. I'm not a great pomegranate lover at the best of times, but unripe isn't pleasant. I eventually managed to cut one open, probably forever ruining the knife I used. Inside I found hard inedible fruit.
Perhaps you are meant to leave them to ripen on the counter avocado style. I've never had the inclination to ask or to try.
We do get regular poms later in the year. I only remember buying any of them once, when I wanted the seeds for a specific dish.
The green lemons are ripe. The flesh is yellow as normal. They have just turned up in the last year or so and we get several varieties. Unfortunately, they are NOT the limes I initially thought they were. (we only get those about once every time Jupiter and Venus align with the moon). Confusingly, the most common name for limes, 青柠檬 - qīng níng méng, is a direct translation of "green lemons" whereas the name for these is "green lemons"! We also get regular lemons, which is what I usually buy.
Taste-wise, I can't detect any significant difference between them.
P.S. We also get lovely green oranges.
