Tuesday, December 20, 2011

pomegranate

I am excited.
I have had this little idea brewing in my head for a while now, and was waiting until the new year to begin....but I just couldn't wait.

There are so many yummy fruits and veggies out there just waiting to be devoured.....but sometimes, we don't know the best way to go about it. 
Or eat it.
Or even peel it. 
There is some really odd looking and intimidating produce out there, changing from season to season, and I love finding ways to use it.

Pomegranate is no stranger in our house--we eat it's little rubies daily, so I figured that it would be a good place to start. 
Pomegranates are plentiful right now, and their tiny seeds liven up any dish.
They are a very nutrient dense fruit, and are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and vitamin A.
They help boost your immune system, have been proven to reduce risks of certain cancerous cells, and help lower cholesterol.

AND, they are adorable and taste tangy and delicious. 


How to Eat a Pomegranate
*you may want to wear an apron....no matter how careful you may be.....these things are messy. 
or maybe it's just me that's messy.

1. Admire your beautiful fruit.
2. Slice in half.  (admiring optional)
3. Quarter and place in a bowl of water, seed side down. 
4. Working UNDER the water, pop the seeds out into the bowl. This keeps them from shooting all over your kitchen and keeps the juice spraying to a minimum. 
Continue to work until all the seeds are out (they will sink to the bottom)
Remove the peel and pulp (the white part) from the bowl. 
5. Strain. Pick out any remaining pulp.
6.  Refrigerate for up to a week....you will eat them before this.
pom1 copypom2 copypom3 copypom4 copypom5 copypom7 copypom6 copy
Aren't they pretty?

I've heard that some people just suck the juice off and then spit the seed out....WHY? 
That tiny seed contains fiber, and I love the little crunch it offers....so eat away. 

We like them in salads (sprinkle on top of a spinach salad with pecans, avocado, and a balsamic vinaigrette)
On Cereal.
Oatmeal.
Yogurt. 
Or PLAIN! They are perfect by the handful. 

I have a basket of them as a centerpiece right now, and I'm sure they will somehow make their way onto my Christmas feast table.

How do YOU eat pomegranate? 

*also. I would like to feature a few seasonal fruits/veggies a month. 
If you have any ideas you'd like me to test out--let me know!

25 comments:

melissa said...

we've been loving them too, despite the fact that i keep finding pretty pink dots of juice all over my kitchen.

i had no idea how to eat them at first, but luckily there was a little brochure "how to eat a pomegranate" next to them at the grocer's.

i like your new idea by the way! i feel like i've always been pretty open to new fruits and veggies, but somehow every year we find a couple of brand new ones that we've never had. it's fun.

Natalie said...

I put the anils (thats what the seeds are called) in dark chocolate cookies! I also like to sprinkle them on salads and stir them into my Greek yogurt with a little granola. :)

Heather said...

I de-seeded 32 POUNDS of poms like this all in one day. It was exhausting, but SOOO much better than the messy method! Isn't the water thing great?! You can freeze the seeds. I think I'm going to try to make jelly with them.

Kasey said...

This is they way i've always seeded pomegranates, too....until recently. I tried a new method, which involves beating the pomegranate with the back of a wooden spoon, after you've cut in half, with the cut side down in the palm of your hand, over the bowl of water. The "beating" removed more than 2/3 of the seeds and left very little for me to do.

I love adding pomegranates to my greek yogurt and cereal. Now I'm craving a spinach salad with avocado, pomegranates and nuts!

Meg said...

@ Nat---I can't eat anything called and anil! Don't tell me that! ;)
I don't cut mine all the way through...just score the peel around and break it in half, then hit the back of the pom halves with a wooden spoon and all of the little seeds will fall out in a jif. It's non messy and if you whack it hard enough, they'll fall out in less than 30 seconds, leaving the membrane in tact inside the peel! Try it!

I like this segment idea. My friend came over and had never tasted a fresh mango before. Mango! I died, and immediately sliced one up for her, where you cut it in half and slice both directions, then flip the peel inside out, so a dozen yummy mango cubes can be stuffef in your face. I looked up as we were eating and realized she had taken a bite of it like it was a slice of toast...peel and all! lol!
mangos, kiwi, even fresh pineapple (yes! really! there are people that don't buy them!) artichokes (can you imagine life without steamed artichokes?) and people who don't eat cucumber peels? Who peels a cucumber? i mean...when you're going to eat it raw? I had no idea that people ate them this way. Grapefruit...there's another one. You're either a cut it in half and spoon it out-er, or a peel it like and orange-er. We were served bacon wrapped asparagus at a party recently and all of the asparagus tips had been cut off. Is it just me or is that the best part?! Ok...the bacon was the BEST part, but you know what I mean.
The list goes on and on... Yes, this is a fantastic idea.

Meg said...

oh, and I add pomegranates and green apples to my cornbread stuffing. Yum!

angela hardison said...

pomegranates are so delicious! i'm always hesitant to take the time to prepare them but then always glad when i do. love the idea of this series - keep it up!

Mardle Made said...

I am loving Pomegranates!!!!!! I have the arils mixed into my homemade Granola, it's the most refreshing yet filling breakfast ever!!!!

xx

www.vintagemardle.com

jfb said...

I was going to mention the heavy wooden spoon method that a few others have commented on! That's my new go-to way to prepare them - - so much easier! It took me 2 minutes to do it that way! At our house we love poms with our oatmeal and by the spoonful!

I've recently learned that I (and my kiddos!) looove brussel sprouts. I'd love some ideas for preparing those besides roasting.

sheena said...

thanks everyone for this new "wooden spoon method"!
I have never heard of this.....can't wait to try.

carlotta cisternas said...

I love pomegranates so much. and these photos are so, so gorgeous.

Anna Scandinavian Cottage said...

To get the seeds out I roll and press at the same time and then I cut it in half and bang on it with a wooden spoon, this way you keep the juice.
I have it with sliced avocado and a dressing made out of the fruitjuice, Dijon mustard, olive oil, honey and s&p.
Sprinkle it with the seeds.
Try it, it's divine!
Happy Christmas to you and yours.

Hannah Nicole said...

I love pomegranates. Growing up, they were a special treat. One of my favorites. We open them same as you, except without water. Don't ask me why, we just do. hah! :)

Melissa said...

I love pomegranate's! My mother-in-law has a tree and we look forward to this time of year when they are ripe! And she always uses them as her holiday centerpieces... So pretty.
Growing up, my grandmother used to make pomegranate jam! It was SO GOOD! I need to find out if that recipe still exists...
That's weird that people would suck the juice and spit out the rest - I love that little seed!

The Little's said...

Feeling a little silly about having a pomegranate maybe...3 times...ever. But, I'm willing to go back and re-try it. I know I liked it before, just not the norm. My kids will be excited to try something new! Thanks!

Jay Wen said...

Funny, I watched a video on how to peel pomegranates the other day. I don't eat the seed but maybe I'll try one or two.

Kimmie said...

Pomegranates and artichokes are our family's VERY favorites! Love when they are in season and we have just peeled and sectioned our 6th one this season. We enjoy them plain (my kids LOVE when they get to take a container of them in their lunch to school), we enjoy eating them plain in salads, yogurt and cereal as well.

They are truly heaven on earth! We have a friend that lives in Santa Clara, Utah and they have a pomegranate tree in their backyard along with other fruit trees. I can't even imagine how heavenly that would be to have your own pomegranate tree to enjoy the fruit off of each week.

Enjoy your Christmas!! It is always a JOY visiting your blog.

tiare said...

how about a feature on beets? i love them. love. but, the only way i know how to prepare them is to roast them. any other ideas?

J said...

i do my poms a little differently! but i love your idea of putting them under the water while popping out the arils.

i score the skin of mine into quarters first and then pull each of the four pieces apart, that way i don't break any of the arils like i used to when i cut into them with a knife.

i usually pop out the arils with my fingers above a bowl of water, that way they sink to the bottom and the skin and white stuff will float to the top and stay separate!

i ALWAYS keep a huge container of these in my fridge at all times. i know some people eat the arils individually and spit out the seeds, but i grab a bowl and spoon and eat them like cereal, oh my gawwd, amazing!

:)

Esther Diehl said...

My favorite pomegranate dessert.

http://www.chefmd.com/recipe_print.php?id=109

aryan said...

Cut it once with a plastic knife, it unravels like so and the seeds are sweet and pop out like little popcorn seeds yum ! Like a cranberry flavor. The rind is bitter.

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CLAENING said...

Thanks for sharing this.

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