Considering how many worthless foods I could ingest if I let myself, I’m always surprised by the number of superfoods I’ve liked all my life. The pomegranate is one of them, with its juicy gems of sweet-tart seeds called arils. Happily, it’s in season.
Pomegranates are rich in fiber and, according to California’s Pomegranate Council , the arils and juice are “high in three different types of polyphenols, a potent form of antioxidants. The three types – tannins, anthocyanins, and ellagic acid – are present in many fruits, but pomegranate juice contains particularly high amounts of all three. As antioxidants, they are credited with helping in the prevention of cancer and heart disease.”
Some say this fruit might go back 2,000 years — without question, it’s popular in the culinary traditions of many ancient cultures — and the Old Testament is rich with symbolism involving pomegranates. Some scholars think this was the apple in the Garden of Eden. Its name is derivative of the Latin pomum and granatus, “apple” and “seeded” respectively.
So let’s open one and get those delicious seeds, which I enjoy munching on as a snack. This is no time to wear your favorite clothing because the juice will stain and inevitably, you’ll have an inadvertent squirt or two.
With a heavy 8 or 10″ knife, slice off the top and bottom so you’ve got a safe and stable pomegranate. As if you were removing the seed from an avocado, push the knife into the center and use your other hand to give a good whack and separate the halves. Some pomegranate fans like to cut the whole fruit into sections, but I’ve never found that be necessary.
Put the halves into a bowl of water. Leave them there a minute or two and you’ll be able to break apart the halves quite easily with your hands. Pop or pick the arils out of their membranes and let them sink to the bottom. The peels and membranes will float. Discard them, drain the seeds and enjoy your strainer full of superfood.
What to do with them? Aside from eating them like healthy little candies, they can be blitzed into juice (strain before drinking) or tossed into a salad or used in cooking. The Pom Wonderful company has a large selection of recipes of all sorts on its website, including Rice Pilaf with Pom and Pinenuts, which is high on my “to try” list.
Storage
The Pomegranate Council says:
Whole pomegranates will keep, away from sunlight, for several days on the counter or up to 3 months when refrigerated in a plastic bag.
Seeds will keep for up to three days in the fridge. They can also be frozen in a single layer then put into airtight containers and left in the freezer up to six months; simply remove as much as you need.
Juice will keep in the fridge for up to three days and can be frozen for up to six months.
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I did it. But I doubt if my comment will appear.
I did, too. Also got the ‘awaiting moderation’.
My Grandpa was born and raised in Arizona. Came up here in the very early 1900s and brought his love of pomegranates with him. They were a special treat at Christmas my entire life.
It seems so exoctic to me to see them in the grocery now for so many months of the year.
You’ve inspired me to put pomegranates on my shopping list for tomorrow. I always wondered about them but was intimidated. It’s good to have instructions, too. Thanks!
@ Life’s Elsewhere and sage – Thanks for trying. The other times this scraper did this my comments remained in mod forever. Maybe I’ll be more trouble than I’m worth!
@ sage – Aren’t food memories wonderful? One thing I appreciate about pomegranates is that they still actually have a season.
@ Caroline You’re in for a treat! Glad I could help. They look good in arrangements too (the whole fruit with dried flowers, etc.). Happy shopping – I still miss Giant and even, at times, the Social Safeway.
Hi ellaella, I too have had posts stolen by this site. Strangely, the links still link to our posts! BUT I have never noticed any traffic directed to me from this site. Very strange.
Anyway – pomegranates! How beautiful your photo at the top is. I enjoyed reading about them. I have some dried pomegranate seeds that are used in Indian cooking to add that note of sourness to dishes (used in some regions instead of tamarind or lemon juice). I really don’t know a lot about how to use them, and had taken them out of the cupboard this morning to try and find some more information. Now to read your post on the fresh, live, really red fruit – it is just lovely.
… forgot to mention …. last week in Sydney at Yellow Bistro in Potts Point, I had a pomegranate and tomato salad. Very very delicious. Full of seeds piled high on juicy red tomatoes.