Pomegranates

What’s high in Vitamin B & C, with almost 3 times more antioxidants than red wine or green tea? 

The mighty Pomegranate. 

Our local in season pomegranates come direct from Michael & Layla’s pomegranate orchard in the Lovedale area.  With a mix of older established trees & some recent new plantings, they have a total of 2000 gorgeous pomegranate trees.

Pomegranate trees are traditionally grown in drier climates, making the the hot dry summers experienced in the Lovedale region that our wine region is famous for, an ideal locale to grow this super berry.

The pomegranate is a fruit bearing deciduous shrub that grows between 3 and 10 metres tall. 

New trees take between 2 and 3 years to begin bearing fruit. March & April are typically the peak fruiting months in Lovedale with medium sized fruit filling the trees. Size is influenced by the volume of rain and after one of the driest summers experienced in recent years, the 2020 vintage has delivered richly flavoured fruit that bursts onto the palate. After 4-5 years the tree is mature & will continue bearing fruit for up to 20 years and beyond. There is said to be varieties up to 200 years old in France and they are grown throughout Europe. 

Pomegranates are self fruiting & do not require another tree to cross pollinate. The local bees do all the work. They will stop ripening as soon as you pick them and can last up to 2 months when stored correctly in a cool dry place.  

Some people prefer to refrigerate them and will get up to 2 months if protected from bruising. They will generally only last for a month in room temperature conditions.

Michael & Layla also make a delicious pomegranate molasses, a syrup boiled from the split fruit that has an intense sweet & sour flavour.

A little molasses goes a long way.

If you haven’t tried pomegranates before, make 2020 your year to try something new and delicious.

In season & in store now at your local Wollombi Road Providore. BUY NOW!