Pomegranates

I got this mini pomegranate which stays a shrubby three feet size solely for the cute little fruit.  For several years I had it in a pot and it was fine there, but much happier in the ground as it is now.  It bloomed nearly all season and made a good half dozen or so pomegranates this year.  Unfortunately,  most split this year before they were red.  These are purely decorative, and I want them for decor.  I need to pick these now they are red and try once more to dry them.  I think the secret is to leave them sitting out in the air for a year.  The one time I thought they looked dry and put them into a decorative jar, they molded.  Maybe this will be the year I end up with cute useable dried fruits.