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IT'S THE TAIL END of the pomegranate season, and I'm always happy when I find one of the leathery fruits, not just for their taste but for their incredible health benefits.

I remember the first time a childhood friend shared a pomegranate with me. I was astounded that the dull red skin enclosed such beautiful contents--840 glistening seeds nestled like pea-sized rubies inside the bitter white membrane.

She showed me how to scoop them out and eat the little rubies, which are actually little sacs of juice surrounding the seeds. They taste at once astringent, tangy and sweet.

I didn't learn until I was an adult that I had loved pomegranates throughout my childhood in a different form: grenadine, a sweetened syrup made from the fruits. At many weddings, I remember feeling happily grown-up because I was allowed to order a mixed drink called a Shirley Temple, which I now know is concocted of 7-Up and grenadine.

Pomegranates have always been a good source of vitamin C and potassium, and now researchers are studying the antioxidants in pomegranate fruit for their ability to reduce blood pressure, fight germs and maybe even reduce the risk of prostate cancer.

Fresh pomegranates are usually available only in late fall and early winter, but in the last two years, some 7-Elevens and grocery stores have been selling pricey pomegranate juice year-round. POM Wonderful is a widely available brand.

Pomegranate fruits originated in the Middle East. Some say the pomegranate, not the apple, may have been the original forbidden fruit in the Christian, Jewish and Muslim scriptures.

The ancient Egyptians placed pomegranates in tombs, the ancient Greeks believed pomegranates were aphrodisiacs, and many cultures link pomegranates with fertility.

In Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet," a nightingale perched in a pomegranate tree sings to the star-crossed lovers, according to POM Wonderful.

Nowadays, farmers cultivate pomegranates in Asia, South America and California, too. I have seen gardeners coax fruit from dwarf pomegranate trees growing as far north as the National Arboretum in Washington.

Famous cardiologist Dr. Dean Ornish released a study last year showing that drinking 8 ounces of pomegranate juice per day increased blood flow to the heart by 17 percent in people with heart disease.