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Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Pomegranate Seeds

 

I love a fun and useful discovery and this is the latest.  Pomegranates!  Who knew that it’s actually easy to get the seeds out of that weird fruit?  Not me.

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I think I missed the pomegranate bandwagon.  Did I?  The cute little bottles labelled “POM”…never bought one.   Exotic cocktails garnished with a skewer of pomegranate seeds…never had one.  But the nutritional benefits of the seeds (technically arils with the seeds inside, all edible) are well documented.

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This week Teenaged Daughter decided she was not passing by that fruit in the grocery store anymore without trying it.  Into the cart it went on the understanding that it was her project.  She took it on with enthusiasm…as she does…and has now been eating pomegranate seeds daily.

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The clever girl went online and found some easy instructions and a new skill was learned.  Here she is to demonstrate it for you.  You’ll know it’s her and not me in the photos by the nail polish.

Equipment required:  a large sharp knife, a cutting board, a large bowl filled three-quarters full of water, a sieve.  Oh, and a pomegranate.

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First cut the pomegranate in half, any which way.

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Then break each half into a few sections.  This is even easier if you do it while submerging the pieces under water (we discovered after taking the photos).

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Next, take each section, submerged under water, and the seeds can easily be loosened with your fingers.

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When all the seeds have been loosened, you will see the magic.  All the seeds will have sunk to the bottom of the bowl, while the white membrane sections remain floating at the top.

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So now it’s easy, right?  You scoop out all the membrane bits with the sieve, or even with your fingers.  Then drain the entire bowl through the sieve and only the seeds (arils) will remain.  Total time less than twenty minutes including taking all the photos.  I recommend omitting the photos and you’ll be much quicker.

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This is the yield from one piece of fruit.  Lots.  So you can just munch on them as a snack like Teenaged Daughter, or add them to your breakfast cereal or a salad…be creative.  Check my Pinterest board for a few good recipes.  All yummy and super-healthy options.  Maybe make a fancy cocktail too and use them as a garnish.  Slightly less super-healthy, but hey…

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So did you learn something new?  Fun, right?  And useful.  Please share if you have some good recipes too.