I don’t always buy whole pomegranates when I see them at the store — because of that one time when I tried to get the seeds out and made a big mess — seeds and juice all over the place and a nice big red stain on my white shirt (of course, I was wearing white when doing this!)
Now, with my obsession of not buying things that are processed or prepared, I do a lot of things myself – like shred cheese, for instance (Nico hates this! b/c it takes so much longer and you have more things to wash after). I also am a little bit of a health freak and make sure we get antioxidants especially when traveling or when the cold weather hits –got to keep that immune system up! SO, I decided to get some whole pomegranates the other day and after having it sit on the counter for a week intimidated to cut it, I finally decided to go for it and what do ya know, it was as simple as can be and absolutely no mess or ruined shirts. (you may burst a seed if you aren’t careful, so watch out for the juice – it WILL stain!)
I figured I would share a quick How-To – as pomegranates will be super popular for Thanksgiving — so good on a Kale salad!
Step 1: Cut all the way through the skin but not all the way through the pulp – don’t risk bursting the seeds.
Step 2: Use your fingers to open the pomegranate to get two identical halves. You may need to work over a large bowl now to gather loose seeds and collect any juice.
Step 3: You can probably omit this step but I decided to cut the pomegranate halves once more (not cutting all the way through) and divide with your fingers to have four pieces.
Step 4: Fill up a bowl with about 1/3 of water and submerge the pomegranate quadrants, using your fingers to extract the seeds from the peel. Once you’ve de-seeded each slice, skim the membranes from the top of the water, pitch them, and then strain the seeds. The seeds will sink to the bottom and the pieces of membrane will float to the top.
NOW —> Eat them as they are, add them to yogurt, pulse them to make a jam (for english muffins, waffles or pancakes), use them for a salad topping or add to your favorite smoothie recipe! I am sure there are plenty of Thanksgiving Day recipes that utilize pom seeds too! Enjoy.
