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Community Corner

Searching for Pomegranates at the Hollywood Farmers' Market

Products made of pomegranates sold at Sundays market are available at at Skylake Ranch's stand.

What happens when one's favorite items at the farmers' market has a short run, or are out of season? Do you remember the spring cherries we had for only three weeks, or the mulberries that appeared at the market for an even shorter time? One of my favorites, the pomegranate, won’t arrive until the fall. Luckily, I discovered that Skylake Ranch offers a variety of products to hold over pomegranate lovers through the summer season.

Caecilie Carlsen, who operates the stand said all of their products are made from pomegranates grown on their farm.

For the past five years, the family-owned ranch in Chico has been distributing its bottled pomegranate products to farmers' markets and natural food stores in California.

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“Pomegranates are packed with vitamins and antioxidants,” said Erin Linsin, a co-worker at the stand. “People are learning about the health benefits from pomegranates.”

Linsin also went on to say that pomegranates may promote good health by lowering the risk of heart disease and cancer. Pomegranates may also boost the immune system.

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“Pomegranates even help prevent the common cold,” Linsin said.

The ranch sells bottles of pomegranate syrup, jellies, jams and a grenadine syrup that may be used to add flavor and color to cocktails, teas or a simple glass of club soda. It’s a good substitute for sugar.

“One of our most popular items is the pomegranate balsamic grill sauce,” Linsin said.

The grill sauce is mixed with aged-Italian balsamic vinegar and may be used as a marinade or brushed onto meats and vegetables on the grill. Check out the Skylake Ranch website for free recipes such as pomegranate-balsamic pulled-pork sandwiches, beef in a buttermilk biscuit or a fun summer lunch dish called BBLT (balsamic-bacon-lettuce-tomato) appetizers. 

“We also have a bottled salad dressing that may be tossed with vegetables, seafood or meat salads,” Carlsen said.

Fresh pomegranates will be ready for harvest at the ranch towards the end of September, but until then these bottled products will be available for the rest of summer at the market.

Skylake Ranch products may also be found at Whole Foods or online.

If you’re looking for a fund adventure and family outing, the farm invites visitors to the ranch during pomegranate season to come and tour the farm and help with the picking of the red-ruby fruits.

Please feel free to share stories and recipes of the items you find interesting at the market.

If you see me strolling about, please say hello.

See you next week at the market!

The Hollywood Farmers Market is located at the intersection of Ivar and Selma avenues, between Sunset and Hollywood boulevards. Rain or shine, it is open every Sunday from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. The market is a certified open-air street market with approximately 100 farmers, 30 local artisans and 40 baked-goods and prepared-food vendors who sell their products every Sunday. It is a direct-to-consumer marketplace with all produce and products from local, California vendors and growers.

Parking: Cinerama Dome: $2 for first two hours with validation available at the information booth at Ivar and DeLongpre avenues. Metered parking: Check parking enforcement signs. Some meters free until 11 a.m. on Sundays.

Dog Sitting: Only tagged assistance dogs are allowed at the market, but this shouldn’t stop others from walking their dogs to the public event. There’s a dog sitting service provided at the corner of Ivar and Vine streets. Your prized pooch will get to socialize with other dogs while you do your shopping at the market. It charges a small fee of $5 per 20 minutes.

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