Thinking about holidays and weekend visits to family and friends as a child brings back memories of the innocent and carefree times of my life

As a young girl of eight or nine the highlight of some of our family's weekends would be a trip to Uncle Bhat's farm about half an hour out of Nairobi in a small town called Thika. Whilst my parents, adult relatives and family friends would sit on the green lawns enjoying their chatter and chai teas, we children would all secretly venture off on our own to climb and pluck fruits from the trees. Playing with the beautiful, but dangerous pomegranate whose red juice is almost permanent and squirting it on one another as we tried to wrestle the seeds out didn't seem to be a bother at all, except later for our parents of course.

Tips and Secrets

This heavenly "jewelled fruit" is thought of as somewhat exotic. The size of an apple with a leathery red rind, with a spongy white membrane interior that is home to the tiny garnet like gems called arils. Sweet and tart in flavour these ripe and juicy seeds can transform any meal into an exceptional event.

I recently learnt from a good friend that when buying pomegranates, one must always try to choose the heavier fruit. This is a sign that the arils are filled with juice which make them just right for eating or juicing. The skin must be uniform in colour and do not buy the fruit if it has cracks in the rind or heavy bruising, although a slight blemish or so in the leathery skin, is acceptable.

The secret against having the permanent ink squirt on you, it turns out, is to break apart pomegranates underwater. Peel off the leathery rind, then immerse the fruit in a bowl of water while you break apart the segments and loosen the seeds free from the white membrane. The white pith will float, so it's easy to take off. Toss the rest in a colander and in seconds you'll have hundreds of seeds and no red ink stains.

An Ancient Superfood

Pomegranates have been referred to time and again as a "superfood". The seeds are high in anti-ageing, skin protecting and cancer fighting properties. The high vitamin C content along with the lycopene and resveratrol are great for health, and recent research has shown that the juice may reduce tumours and heart disease. Most of all the ellagic acid that is present in the seeds is supposed to increase the body's supply of antioxidants that protect skin cells formation.

There a whole list of myths, cures, recipes and cultural beliefs about the fruit that dates as far back as Adam and Eve. Some believe the apple in the Garden of Eden was actually a pomegranate.

For centuries this "wonder fruit" has been a source of herbal medicine and healing foods in the Near East and the eastern Mediterranean.

The many seeds of the fruit made it a symbol of fertility, as one fruit could be the progenitor of many. To the Romans, the pomegranate was significant to marriage and it is said that brides decked themselves in pomegranate twig wreaths. Pomegranate seeds appear in the Greek myth of the Goddess Demeter, protector of grain, crops, and the earth's bounty, and for her daughter Persephone.

Using at Home

So what do you do with these mysterious and alluring health giving seeds? Should you be looking for visual effects and variety try sprinkling them over salads, desserts, cakes or puddings or use them to juice up your cocktails, marinades, glazes and for garnish. Use as a toping for pancakes waffles, cereals, or sundaes the list is endless! 

Pop them into your mouth and enjoy a burst of flavour all day long - but remember to wear dark clothing to cover up the possibility of stains.

One medium size pomegranate will yield about 3/4 cup of seeds.

Recipes

Pomegranate Raita (A cooling Indian yogurt salad perfect for those hot days) Makes 2 cups.

1 large pomegranate

½ cucumber deseeded and cut into tiny cubes

½ red onion finely chopped

1 or 2 green chilies finely chopped (optional)

2 cups chilled Greek yogurt

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

1 small green chilli finely chopped

1/4 cup fresh coriander, finely chopped

Sea salt to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

Separate the seeds from the pomegranate. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, chillies, yogurt, salt, cumin and coriander. Gently fold in all but three tablespoons of the pomegranate seeds. Season with salt and pepper

Place in serving bowl and garnish with mint and the remaining pomegranate seeds. Chill for 30 minutes.

Avocado & Pomegranate Salsa (pomegranate seeds add lively colour, flavour and crunch to this ginger-spiked salad) Serves 2.

2 medium size avocados cut into cubes

2 small tomato deseeded and diced

2/3 cup pomegranate seeds

½ cup fresh coriander chopped

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

½ teaspoon brown sugar

1 tsp cumin

2 teaspoons ground black pepper

A pinch of red chilli flakes (optional)

Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir so that all ingredients are well incorporated. Serve immediately.