You can find pomegranates on the bank at the Tasting Centre at Green Olive at Red Hill.
Interesting Facts about Pomegranates
Pomegranates are a fruit native to Iran and northern India that gets its name from the Latin pōmum "apple" and grānātum "seeded". English actually borrowed the French word for pomegranate grenade for the word grenade, the hand-thrown bomb. Pomegranates have been harvested for culinary use since ancient times, particularly throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean, who have used and their seeds in juice, sauces, syrups, and broths. Nowadays, you often see pomegranate seeds used in salads and desserts, but there are a variety of uses for pomegranate juice as well, including in smoothies, juices, cocktails, wine and baking. Pomegranates are rich in vitamin C, vitamin K, folate and potassium, all extremely important nutrients that help maintain healthy brain and tissue function. Pomegranates are also a great source of fibre and have been shown to contain high levels of antioxidants; in fact, pomegranate juice has three times more antioxidants than green tea! Flavourful pomegranates are grown in high temperatures with lots of sun, so they’re widely grown in the tropics and subtropics, but we’ve had success with the cold winters and hot summers of Victoria.
How to De-Seed a Pomegranate
- Cut a small portion from the bottom of the pomegranate, then cut off the top of the pomegranate by cutting around the top with your knife on a slight angle.
- Make 6 shallow, vertical cuts along the pomegranate skin, ensuring not to cut as deep as the seeds.
- Using your fingers, pry open the pomegranate until it splits off into 6 parts and gently pull the seeds away from the skin.
Check out our pomegranate spritzer recipe for a fun way to use this delicious, nutritious fruit:
Pomegranate Spritzer
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Feeling like something sweet? Try this delicious twist on the classic chocolate mud cake:
Pomegranate Chocolate Mud Cake
Pomegranate Chocolate Mud Cake, from Australian Women's Weekly magazine 2015
For the cake
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250g dark chocolate
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125g unsalted butter
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6 eggs
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175g caster sugar
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300mL thickened cream
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2 tsp icing sugar
To decorate
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Pomegranate seeds
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Grated chocolate
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat and then turn off the heat. Chop the chocolate and stir it into the butter mixture.
- Seperate four of the eggs. Beat the yolks with the other two whole eggs and 75g of the caster sugar for 3-4 minutes or until creamy. Fold in the butter and chocolate mixture.
- In a seperate bowl, whisk the egg whites until they’re frothy and then add the remaining 100g of caster sugar while whisking until soft peaks form.
- Fold the whisked egg whites into the chocolate mixture. Try to keep as much air in the mixture as possible. Line a 23cm springform tin and pour in the mixture. Bake for 35 minutes.
- Whip the cream and icing sugar together until velvety. When the cake is cool, remove from the tin, spread the cream over the top and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and grated chocolate.
Recipe originally by Australian’s Women’s Weekly magazine 2015