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Pomegranates 101

Pomegranates are great-tasting and nutritious, but extracting the seeds can be a pain and messy. Learn how to remove the seeds with as little staining as possible.

There's a seasonal fruit in town whose juices may be the most loved of all. It's made headlines in recent years, boasting its powerful antioxidants and sweet/tart taste, making it the perfect addition to cocktails and virgin drinks alike. There's only one problem: how do you extract the juice from this deciduous fruit?

and market manager both have fresh, ripe pomegranates ready for breaking into. Pomegranates are a round fruit that contain tiny little red gems, called arils, tucked away inside a white, bitter membrane. The arils, which are a sac of juice with a small, edible seed, are great for cooking with or snacking on. The white membrane is similar to the pith of a citrus fruit and should not be consumed.

Though the fruit is mostly known for its magenta hue, it can vary in colors from white to dark red. "They won't turn red if the sun doesn't hit [them]," Laura Maciel said. And don't be shy of ones with big splits in them. "The ones that have big cracks in it aren't bad. They're just bursting because of all of the juice," she said.

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Pomegranates are delicious and nutritious but are considered a rare fruit. "They're an alternating crop," Hillebrecht said. "One year is a good year, the next [year] is bad. This year is the bad year."

Another reason people shy away from this juicy fruit? They can be a mystery to open. Does one cut it in half? Is there an easy way to separate the arils from the membrane? Can you just juice it? We've got answers.

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Stop by the market and try to snatch up the remaining poms from the farmers. Take them home and then follow these step-by-step instructions for removing (and enjoying!) the beautiful arils hidden inside the fruit.

Pomegranates 101

  1. Put on some gloves and an apron. "[The juices] stain, so be careful," Maciel said. This method is generally stain-free, but it's always better to be safe than sorry.
  2. With a sharp knife, cut a circle around the "crown" of the pomegranate. Cut deep enough to where you feel some resistance. (If you're unsure of how deep to cut, stop as soon as you feel you're crushing and popping the arils.) Pop the crown off.
  3. Score the fruit into four sections. Judge the depth of the cut the same way you did with removing the crown.
  4. Firmly grab a section of scored pom at the top, where the crown once was. Pull back to break the piece apart from the rest of the fruit (this is where flying juices may ensue!). Continue to do this until all sections are separated. You'll probably be left with a "core" section that will contain lots of yummy arils!
  5. Fill a large bowl three-fourths of the way up with water. Take each broken section of pomegranate and, placing it beneath the water, start to roll out the arils from the membrane with your thumb. Peel both ends back, like you would an orange you were segmenting, to get all of the hidden gems. Keep the section under water at all times to avoid squirting juices. It's ok if some of the separated membrane falls in.
  6. Continue Step 5 for each section of pomegranate. Once you're done with all sections, the arils will fall to the bottom of the bowl and the bitter membrane will float up to the top. Skim the membrane off the water with a spoon or your hand. Make sure that none of the arils at the bottom have any membrane stuck to them.
  7. In a strainer, thoroughly rinse the arils. To store, place a damp paper towel on the bottom of a plastic container and put the pomegranate seeds on top.
  8. Too much work for you? Roll the fruit on a lined workspace (juices might seep through the skin) and once all of the crackling has stopped, drill a hole with a knife through the fruit, insert a straw and sip.

How to Use the Pomegranate Seeds:

  • Throw a handful or two in your favorite entrée salad for a colorful and crunchy touch.
  • Toss into champagne to make an event more special.
  • Stuff the seeds, along with your and goat , into chicken breasts and pan roast.
  • Extract the juice from the arils using a sieve, and reduce over low heat with some white wine for a pomegranate reduction. Drizzle on top of lamb or other white meat.
  • Add some seeds to your favorite guacamole recipe for an added crunch and complementing tart to the smooth and rich avocado.

Interesting Pom Facts:

  • Some scholars say that it was the pomegranate, not an , that Eve tempted Adam with that fateful day in the Garden of Eden.
  • Maciel said that the ruby fruit is considered an aphrodisiac.
  • Grenadine, that red syrup they put in our Shirley Temples and cherry Cokes, was originally made from pomegranate juice, not cherry juice!
  • It is custom to eat them on Rosh Hashanah because there are approximately 613 seeds to represent the 613 commandments and the crown on top resembles the scrolls on the Torah.
  • Want hummingbirds hanging around your garden? Add some pomegranate juice to some water outside and watch the little guys flock.
  • Pomegranates are picked ripe, but the heavier the pomegranate, the more juice it likely has.



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