The POMEGRANATE is a deciduous tree with a deep red, seed-like fruit enclosed in individual pulp kernels. In Israel its fruit ripens at the end of summer, usually during September and October. The pomegranate has a long association with biblical agriculture—from Moses’ twelve spies sent to Canaan who bring back pomegranates as proof of Canaan’s productivity (Num 12:23) to the prophets, Joel and Haggai, who both envision a terrible day when Israel’s prolific fruit trees, like the pomegranate, hang barren.