Maybe they were not ripe? They are always tart, but sweet. I have not gotten fruit from my Angel Red yet. How old is you tree? Soil for Pomegranate trees needs a PH of from 5.5 to 7.0, therefore I shoot for a 6.2 PH. Also need good drainage, fertile soil and good sun. Given those paramerters and provided you let it ripen, you should get sweet-tart taste.

Most of my pom's have been bitter, I don't know why. Exceptions are Sweet, Eversweey, & Desertnyi. PH here is 7.9. I'd thought I was the only person with that problem. Maybe its the PH

This post was edited by bhawkins on Fri, Nov 29, 13 at 11:52

Ash7681, are you eating some of the pith and or membrane? Those parts can be bitter. Angel Red is a great pom that tastes similar to Wonderful but with softer seeds and an earlier harvest. All of my AR poms have been harvested weeks ago, so maybe letting them hold too long may make them bitter in your climate.

bhawkins, I remember you saying that before about pH, but have not experienced it here in NM. I still think under-ripeness most likely problem...

Most people don't realize how tough it is to gauge ripeness in pomegranates. Ash, DON'T believe the stuff you read that says they're ripe when they are "full-sized and nicely colored" or some such nonsense. They take a long time to ripen, and are not ready until:

1. The "fingers" of the calyx on the blossom end of the fruit starts to turn inward
2. The fruit starts to take on an angular shape instead of just being round
3. The fruit gives off a metallic sound when tapped (this is too subjective for me)
4. The skin begins to soften somewhat, and can be marked with a fingernail

fabaceae_native, where are you located? In my region a pom that is harvested too soon is just plain sweet. No other flavors. Rats, squirrels and such go crazy for them in the early stages. When dead ripe we get the sweet/tart to rich "winey" flavors. Whereas If left on the tree too long they taste a little "soapy". I just don't know of a bitter stage for Angel Red or Wonderful outside of eating the pith and membranes.

I would add that maybe since the tree is very young, you may just need to give it a few years to come of age. Angel Red is a great pom and worth waiting for.

Folks, thanks for the comments. I bought the Angel Red at a nursery this year. Its about 3 feet tall from the base. Gave plenty of beautiful red flowers throughout the summer, but none turned into fruit on their own. I had to pollinate them with a painting brush.

The tree gets shaded sunlight through-out the day, so I wasn't expecting big sized fruit. But I was hoping for sweetness in whatever sized fruit I got.

Based on everyone's feedback, it seems under-ripeness is the cause for the bitterness. At the time I picked the fruit, I didn't hear a metallic sound when I tapped on the cover. And the skin may not have been soft either.

But then, I left the fruit on the tree for over a month after they seemed to have reached their maximum size. Some, I harvested after the fruit ruptured, which I thought was a sign of ripeness. But all had the same bitterness.

The pH of the soil is slightly on the acidic side. Other than shaded sunlight, everything else seems normal. Any further suggestions, what I could do to improve taste?

Thanks.

It is very young....let it grow and I bet the fruit will lose the bitter taste. I did not even let mine produce fruit the first 4 years.