It’s pomegranate season!  I’m always so excited when I see fresh pomegranates in my grocery store and even more excited to taste their juicy, tangy, sweet, refreshing flavor.  I hope you’re enjoying their great taste and reaping all of their great health benefits. 

 Pomegranates are beautiful, delicious and nutritious!  They make stunning holiday decorations and are festive additions to fruit and vegetable salads.  One medium pomegranate contains only about 100 calories and is rich in disease-fighting antioxidants.

 Pomegranates have a leathery reddish skin and are filled with hundreds of seeds that are surrounded by a translucent red pulp.  They’re grown mostly in California, Asia and the Mediterranean. They’re only available in the U.S. from September through December so don’t let their season pass you by.  Look for fruit that’s heavy for its size with bright, fresh color and blemish-free skin.  Fortunately, they’ll last in the refrigerator for a couple months and seeds packed in an airtight container can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. 

 Try a beautiful fall fruit salad with Texas red grapefruit (my favorite), apples, grapes, bananas and pomegranates. For easy cleaning, cut off the crown, then score the pomegranate skin into four sections without cutting the whole way through.  Place the pomegranate into a bowl of water and break off the sections under the water, then roll out the seeds with your fingers.  Discard all else.  Finish by straining the pomegranate seeds from the water and enjoy!