It’s pomegranate season! I remember the first time my mother brought some home around Christmas to use as part of a centerpiece. After the party was over, she showed us how to remove the beautiful deep red ruby-like seeds and pop them open in your mouth to get a burst of their sweet juice.
Although pomegranates are in season from September to February in the northern hemisphere, you don’t really see them in large quantities at the grocery store until is gets closer to the holidays. And the price can vary widely. Last week we paid 67 cents for one fruit; this week it was $1.17.
We like to stock up on pomegranates and freeze the seeds so we can eat them all year. My favorite way to eat them is to add a handful to almost any salad, or put them in a fruit smoothie.
There are 2 ways to remove the seeds. My preferred method is to use a paring knife to score the skin all the way around the fruit and twist it until it breaks in half. Then hold one half seed-side down over a large bowl and whack the skin with the back of a wooden spoon. The seeds fall out while most of the white membrane stays attached to the skin.
The other method is to cut the fruit in half, put it in a bowl of water and loosen the seeds with your fingers. The seeds will sink while the white pulp floats to the surface. Skim off the pulp and drain the water from the seeds.
Pomegranates are loaded with Vitamin C, Vitamin K and potassium. One fruit has 234 calories, 5 grams of protein, 3 grams of fat, and 39 grams of sugar. They are also very high in fiber, but make sure you eat the seeds as that’s where all of the fiber is stored. So stock up now, freeze the seeds and enjoy all year round!
Leave a Reply