Everything you need to know about pomegranates

The word pomegranate is old French for 'seeded apple,' a fitting name for this apple-sized fruit, filled with jewel-like clusters of red seeds. Check out this guide for everything you need to know about the nutritious fruit.

• There are many types of pomegranates cultivated around the world. One of the most popular in North America is called Wonderful. It is perhaps the best pomegranate for juicing. The fruit is available from fall to early winter.
• Pomegranates have a leathery, deep red to purplish rind. The interior is bursting with hundred of tiny, edible seeds packed into compartments called arils and separated by bitter, cream-coloured membranes.
• The fruit can be eaten out of hand by deeply scoring vertically and then breaking it apart. The clusters of juice sacs are then lifted out and eaten.

Pomegranate fruits are most often consumed as juice and can be juiced in several ways.

• The sacs can be removed and put through a basket press or the juice can be extracted by reaming the halved fruits on an ordinary juice squeezer.
• Another approach is to make a cut in the stem end and place it over a glass to let the juice run out, squeezing the fruit from time to time.
• One fruit yields about 300 to 800 millilitres (1¼ to three cups) of juice. The juice can be used to make jellies, sorbets or sauces, as well as to flavour cakes and baked apples.

• Pomegranates are a good source of potassium. One fruit contains about 400 milligrams, more than in most oranges.
• They also contain vitamin C and fibre.
• Pomegranates and their juice are rich in anthocyanins and ellagic acid, both of which have antioxidant properties.
• Research has shown that pomegranate juice has two to three times the antioxidant capacity of equal amounts of red wine or green tea, and anthocyanins make an important contribution to the pomegranate's antioxidant power.
• A recent study suggests that drinking as little as 50 millilitres (1/4 cup) of pomegranate juice daily may improve cardiovascular health by significantly reducing oxidation of LDL cholesterol.

Pomegranates are rich in plant chemicals and vitamins. Keep this guide in mind and get the most out of your pomegranates by eating them the right way.