·    A pomegranate tree can grow up to 15 feet in height and may live for more than one hundred years.

·    Once the pomegranate fruit is picked from the tree, it stops ripening but will become more flavourful after being in storage.

·    Pomegranates are a rich source of a strong antioxidant class known as punicalagins, which make the pomegranates juice very beneficial for health. Punicalagins are though to brake down into ellagic acid, the potent anti-oxidant found in raspberries, cranberries, and strawberries which also have strong antioxidant activity.

·    The antioxidant potential of the pomegranate fruit is thought to be up to three times higher than that of green tea.

·    Pomegranates contain about five grams of fibre per serving and are fat free.

·    World’s best pomegranates are grown in the southern states of Afghanistan in Kandahar, Balkh, Helmand, and Nimruz provinces.

·    The pomegranate fruit is judged ripe when it develops its distinctive colour and a metallic sound is heard when tapped by the finger. Fruits must be picked before over-maturity otherwise, the seeds become hard, inedible, and the whole fruit tends to crack open.— Compiled by The Surfer

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