Pomegranate, Punica granatum L., Buah Delima, 石榴.

Pomegranate, scientific name Punica granatum L. A fruit with ancient history. Pomegranate had been mention in various ancient holy text and some believed that this is the forbidden fruit that Adam took.

I got interested in Pomegranate after reading about it from a group of friends in FaceBook, a closed group Malaysia Gardeners. After doing some research and since it can grow & fruit in Malaysia, I decided to give it a try.

Went out to search for the biggest Pomegranate that I can find. The local ones are pretty small, followed by the Indians and Turkish. The biggest I found is from Egypt. Bought it at RM$ 14.00 for 2 pieces. As I had no experience on Pomegranate, I just took 2 that looks good (exterior) to me.

Egyptian Pomegranate.

 I should had chosen 2 that is ripe. Put them into the fridge for storage.

EGCT Pomegranate.

As I had never ate Pomegranate before, I search on YouTube how to eat a Pomegranate. There are 2 methods, 1 wet & 1 dry. It looks messy & difficult on the internet. My wife had ate this before but but was told she was served already cut. Tried out the dry method in the evening. It's not difficult to de-seed. I ended up just cutting the fruit into 2 halves and made some slides cutting on the side. Used my hands to gently rub out the seeds. It tasted good and sweet. I find it challenging to eat them as they are pretty small and with seeds. Lots of work, not much reward. My family finished off the fruit. I kept the Pomegranate seeds for planting

Ate the other fruit the next day. The more red one. This 1 was extremely sweet and good flavor. Must be due to the ripeness. My wife and me finished off the whole fruit. We then discussed on the benefits of pomegranate. It has high medicinal value, high in vitamin C & D, a strong antioxidant. One sites says it's more beneficial then drinking red wine. There are lots of recipes to make beverage from pomegranate juice. Must try it out one day. Pomegranate juice also has Viagra effect. Say this article

"Viagra and pomegranate together is too much of a good thing

Sildenafil, the active ingredient in the erection enhancer Viagra, is more effective when combined with pomegranate. But sometimes the combination works a little too well, say doctors at the Sri Gokulam Hospitals and Research Institute in Tamil Nadu, India. They describe in Urology Annals cases of three men for whom the combination of Viagra and pomegranate led to an almost permanent erection"

Soaking Pomegranate Seeds.

Kept the seeds. Soak them in a bowl of water overnight. I then started to clean off the membrane. It was challenging. Decided to clean them by washing in a rubbing action, like washing rice. Then using water to separate the membrane, pomegranate seeds sink, membrane float. These pomegranate seeds were then air dried. I think there could be a hundred seeds.

Air dried Pomegranate Seeds.

I am very excited about this trial and the 1st thing I did when I reached my little farm is to clear up a patch in my nursery to germinate these. Being a lazy farmer, I only clear the patch that I required.  Made trenches and spray out the seeds. This I find is the simplest method. On a trench, I don't nee to water too much as water accumulates on the lower trench. When I do transplant, it's easier to find as they are in a row.

Germinating Pomegranate Seeds.

Let's wait 45 ~ 60 days and see what happens. Till then.