Pomegranate

GROWN IN AUSTRALIA 

The first time we peered into the deep red and white insides of pomegranate, we were transfixed! We had to breathe in its strangeness, and the delightful sea of translucent, pearly-red beads (they're called 'arils' and look like tiny red hexagonal gummies).

Pomegranates have been here since ancient times and are known for their medicinal properties and nutrition with perhaps more antioxidants than tea or red wine, vitamin C, manganese and copper.

In Australia we grow pomegranates in QLD, NSW and WA.

• Freshest in March to October.
• Good for sweet and savoury dishes, juices, smoothies, drinks, snacks, salads  and it's a great muesli or dessert topper, and a colouring agent.
• Store in fridge when ripe (firm with slight softness).

Top Tip

We've created an oozy, red mess on our white tablecloth after hastily extracting pomegranate seeds. It's a common challenge...how do you extract the seed, and juice easily (and cleanly)?

1. Cut the top off, and fruit into wedges, submerge in cold water bowl and gentle massage out of the membrane.
2.  Cut one hexagonal shape around the top of the fruit. Run a knife from each point to the bottom, as if you're cutting orange wedges, but only cut through the skin (not the whole fruit). Then gently pull apart the skin and segments over a bowl.

It's fresher and far more economical to properly seed a fruit at home, than buy the red 'arils'.