Pomelos

More than 6 inches in diameter!

I always look forward eagerly to pomelo season. Starting in December, I start asking Jorge, my citrus farmer, when the pomelos will be ripe. Unfortunately, they are often not ripe until March, but I am persistent in my questioning.

So last week Jorge gave me the first pomelo of the year. It had fallen to the ground and he felt it was destined for me. I felt honored to receive it.

Pomelos are an ancient relative of grapefruits, but they are huge. I would love to see a tree of them - Jorge says it is quite a sight to see these large yellow globes hanging from the branches. Last year I planted some seeds in hope of getting a tree of my own. So far my seedlings are about 3 inches tall, so it will be a while before I have a harvest.

In the meantime, though, Jorge has me covered.

There are two main kinds of pomelo I've seen at the market - pink inside and blueish inside. Jorge's are the blueish ones, and I much prefer them. They are tangy like a grapefruit but the flavor is somehow softer. The flesh is firmer and the membranes are thicker, so I only put the inner segments in our morning fruit. They are also very seedy, but the seeds pop out easily with a knife. This does lead to the temptation of planting a few, which is why Larry is worried our backyard will turn into a pomelo plantation.

He is not as big a fan of these as I am. But I recommend that if you see one in the market, you take it home, get out a big knife, and give it a try. You also might be hooked.

First I cut the top and bottom off. Then I use a large knife
to cut down each side, removing the peel and thick white pith.
I cut it in half, then cut between the membranes to pop out
the segments, leaving the seeds behind.