Back in the day, Hades abducted Persephone while she frolicked in the fields. Boo on that, we say. Her mom, Ceres, goddess of the harvest, eventually found her and brought her back to the surface, but the plants up here withered while she searched. Unfortunately, Persephone got hungry while down under, and ate six pomegranate seeds. The garnet-colored teardrops came with a price: for each seed, Persephone had to spend one month in the underworld as Hades's bride. When she's underground, hanging with the dead, her mom gets all weepy and turns the earth cold again. A tip to our readers: Be wary when the Lord of the Underworld offers you pomegranates. We're full of practical advice here at SFist.

We understand Persephone's temptation. We look forward to the zingy, vibrant flavor of pomegranate seeds, though we'll warn you that we've found the occasional watery sample at local markets. You want a mouth-puckering acidity that just begs to be tossed into a salad or atop a roasted quail. Or follow Patience Gray's advice for the seeds in : "Eaten out of doors while walking; very refreshing, one sucks the delicious seeds and spits the kernel on the wayside." We imagine we'll put up some pomegranate vinegar soon, since it's so easy. Just steep 1 cup of seeds in 2 cups of good white wine vinegar for 8-10 days, and strain when the liquid tastes pomegranate-y enough.

Photos by Melissa Schneider

Honey From a Weed