From as far back as I can remember I have always had a love for pomegranates. Growing up we had an ornamental pomegranate tree in our courtyard, during its fruit bearing season I would spend many a Saturday using mental telepathy on the tree explaining to the pretty little flowers that this year they should bear the apple size fruit for me. Of course it never happened because unbeknown to me this tree was there to look pretty with its striking ruffled petals, not produce fruit.

Pomegranates were seen as an exotic fruit especially in the shops of Johannesburg so this fruit retained its mystic and what I perceived as a royal beauty. The ruby skin of this luscious fruit not only makes for an attractive ornamental fruit in the centre of the table, it also takes ones mind back to ancient Persia where it was first discovered. One can picture the caravans of camels moving along the silk road with weary travellers cracking open the brittle skin and digging out the pips to suck on the juicy flesh.

Over the years I have made countless trips to Turkey, one of my favourite street drinks is a cup of freshly squeezed pomegranate juice. Cut in half and beautifully displayed the colours and designs entice even the busiest passer by. These jewel filled fruits are hugely symbolic and believed to bring luck and prosperity. Pomegranates are high in antioxidants and vitamin C, they are said to fight viruses, boost the immune system, stall the progress of Alzheimer disease, protect memory and it is a powerful anti-inflammatory.

With pomegranates randomly popping up in my life I was supper excited to learn about Ganico Organic Farm. The 5 hectare family run organic farm has been in the family for over 30 years. Laiken and her husband Jason had no farming background, however they did know that this is what they wanted to do. Following the Israeli set up they have planted some 3000 trees. With no expert in South Africa they were unsure about the yields of these slow growing and slow producing trees. A mature tree ( approximately 10 years old ) produces about 50kg of fruit, if the fruits receive too much water they crack open, so harvesting them at the correct moment is crucial. Every part of the farm has been utilised, there are lemon trees, gooseberries, granadillas and so much more. The farm offers a soil to fork experience, for those wanting to embrace the fresh farm life.

The rich history of the fruit, steeped in myth and romance, can probably be attributed to its uniqueness. The pomegranate, Punica granatum belongs to a family of plants that has only one genus and two species – the other is only found on the island of Socotra, an island in the Indian Ocean.

Did you know ?

The Romans declared it an Apple
This fruit is actually a berry
A tree has male and female flowers, they are self pollinating
The female flower becomes the fruit
It takes at least 4 years for a tree to start yielding fruit

Farming pomegranates just made sense for Laiken and Jason. A labour of love that is also a lifestyle investment.

www.ganico.co.za