Pom-Cranberry Relish Recipe and great information about the pomegranate

You may be surprised if I told you that the pomegranate fruit is grown on a fruit bearing deciduous shrub or tree that stands between 16 and 26 feet tall. In the northern hemisphere the pomegranate fruit is in season from September to February. In the southern hemisphere the pomegranate is in season March to May. Pomegranates are used in baking, cooking, juice blends, meal garnishes, smoothies, and alcoholic cocktails and wines.

The pomegranate reigns from a region that stretches from modern day Iran through Afghanistan and Pakistan to northern India. The fruits have been grown and eaten since ancient times in the Mediterranean region. During the late 16th century Spanish American force brought them into California by settlers in 1769. The middle east and Caucasus region, north and tropical Africa, South Asia, Central Asia, southeast Asia and parts of the Mediterranean as well as parts of Arizona and California cultivate the fruit. The commercial atmosphere picked up the pomegranate marketing it to Europe and the West.

The Pomegranate fruit is reddish purple in color. The fruit has a two part husk, the outer is hard and the inner husk is spongy and white. It is the inside that contains juice and an average of 200 to 1400 seeds. The pomegranate is actually a berry with seeds and pulp produced from a single flower. The fruit is a size between lemon and grapefruit. The entire pomegranate can be used. The juice fruit and  peel high in nutrients is often found in nutritional supplements. Other health benefits of the pomegranate includes

Pom-Cranberry Relish

2 teaspoons olive oil
½ small shallot, minced
½ cup sugar
1 cup pomegranate juice
12 ounces fresh or frozen cranberries
⅔ cup pomegranate seeds
salt & pepper to taste
½ cup finely chopped mint

In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil over medium high heat and add minced shallots.
Cook for 2-4 minutes until soft.
Add sugar, pomegranate juice, and cranberries.
Bring the mixture to a boil, add a pinch of salt and pepper, then reduce heat to low.
Occasionally stir and let simmer for 10 minutes, until thickened.
Remove from the heat and stir in pomegranate seeds.
Let cool before adding chopped mint, and serve.

recipe source here