Pomegranates!
My Obsession (one of many)
Growing up pomegranates were a BIG deal. Not just for the wonderful deliciousness that pomegranates naturally come with, but other reasons too. First, they were kinda expensive and my mother, the single mom of two kids with multiple jobs was definitely splurging when she bought such a glorious treat. Second, it was not as simple as “lets just open up and eat this beautiful fruit today”. There was a process, and it was a big ordeal!
We had to pick a date, a day where nothing was going on and my mom would be getting off work early enough. We had to eat our dinner first, because something so delicious had to be saved for a dessert. When dinner was finished and cleaned up, we would go change our clothes. We had to wear dark old shirts and pants that we didn’t care about. Then ever so carefully my mother would cut a slit in the thick skin and slowly she would peel the pomegranate. She would peel the skin off the same way you would peel a clementine, it was very detailed work.
And then came the mess! Mother would cut the pomegranate into chunks and the juice would shoot all over the place! My sister and I were prepared, armed with wet rags to aggressively attack any spots that dare to splatter upon the table, floor or walls. My mom would equally distribute out the pieces and we would sit down to indulge.
Separating the white flesh (which always reminds me of fascia) from each individual juicy aril, we would truly savor every seed! The occasional improper removal of a seed by adding excessive pressure would result in the bright liquid squirting you square in the eye or a splatter across the face, which brought countless laughter to all of us. The second a splatter hit the laminate covered table top, we would wipe it up, if it sat longer than ten seconds, it usually left a year long stain! When we were finished we would dream of the days that we could have our own personal pomegranate, or even a few. It could have been a holiday because it was such a big deal! It was one of my most favorite memories. To say that I have a great emotional connection to pomegranates would be an understatement and I appreciate that my mother went through so much work so we could enjoy this candy of the Gods.
Fast forward to 2013 and my neighbor shows up on Halloween with a bag of almost 10 pomegranates for me after I told her how much I loved them! (Thanks Geneva). She told me they were 3 for a dollar a specific location and that started a tradition for my family. Every year around Halloween I start contacting my “source” (not sure if I can share who I get them from haha). Each week I check the prices and then when the price has gone down enough, I buy large amounts in bulk. The first year it was about 50 pomegranates, the second year about 75, then slowly the numbers each year increased. This year I purchased about 300 pomegranates. (About half were for a friend, because I learned she loves them about as much as I do.) Then for about 2 months my kids and I eat between 2-15 pomegranates a day! We love them! Ok, ok I will stop ranting- and if you read that much I am impressed I kept your attention!
Storing
There are a few tricks I have found with pomegranates that I would love to share with you. First, I keep most of the cases in the garage or in my basement in a dark location. I keep them in the boxes they come in because they usually are in perfect little individual sections, or layer them in a box only two layers deep. My basement is ridiculously cold, so its a good place for them to be. I only bring about 10 pomegranates upstairs at a time. Keeping them in the dark cool area helps them last longer.
Gloves
Gloves are important, even more so if your fruit is not organic. I know, I know- I really do stress the importance of organic/ non-gmo foods but this is where I slack off a bit. I do wash them very well though and through the entire handling process, I wear gloves. First the gloves help reduce chemical contact through the hands, but also these guys are crazy good at staining and the color goes about the same color as when your child mixes all their watercolors together. Its not lovely on the skin, so, wear gloves.
Washing
Because of all the gross goo that is added on the pomegranates I try to make sure I wash them very well. This is my washing process: I add each beautiful ball to a very big stainless steel or glass bowl. In my picture I washed these pomegranates in a plastic bowl, but I learned quickly that was a poor choice as plastic leaches chemicals, it also has pores so it can absorb the chemicals from the fruit, infusing the next food we eat in chemicals.
I add about 5-6 pomegranates, depending on the size.
I fill the bowl full of water and add:
*3 TBSP of salt
*2 TBSP of raw apple cider vinegar.
*1 TBSP baking soda
I give them each a nice scrub in the liquid and then let them soak for about 30-40 minutes.
After I pull them out and dry each lovely ball and then we eat them! 😀
It’s beyond nasty how much gross comes off these fruits. I have found often times its a brownish-green mixture of water after they are cleaned, a gross example of the chemicals sprayed on these fruits.
Cutting
Ok, now that your fruit is all clean, lets cut it up! The way my mother cut pomegranates is a fun memory but a huge mess. I have found this way works best for me, I will try and make this at least slightly entertaining.
- Position the pomegranate on its side so the stem and the bud are pointing out towards the sides, not towards you. (Or, pretend there are laser beams blasting out of the stem and the bud of the pomegranate. You don’t want the laser beams cutting your floor and ceiling, nor do you want the laser beams slicing at you! ) Picture:
. - Cut the pomegranate down the center as close to the middle as possible.
- Set the cut halves with seeds side facing up. The pomegranate will have a bit of a star design to it. Slice little cuts into each section where the star points connect but have a thin line of skin between the middle.
- Flip the fruit so seed side is down, place fingers under the seeds and thumbs on top of the skin of the fruit. Now carefully use your fingers to pull the fruit apart.
This will leave the pomegranate in sections. You can peel each section off the peeling and eat the seeds off each individual section. Or you can flip it back over and set the seed side down on your hand over a bowl. Then take a strong wooden spoon and smack the back of the pomegranate to knock out the seeds into the bowl.
This way tends to have less mess and is not super time consuming! - If you can, try and fill a little bowl with pre-picked seeds and take them to a friend or neighbor!
- Enjoy your pomegranate seeds plain, on yogurt, in smoothies, on pudding, in salad, on toast with cream cheese or nut butter, in soup or whatever exciting way you come up with! Remember to thank God for your foods and pray for them! Here is a great recipe from Cookie +Kate : https://cookieandkate.com/pomegranate-pear-green-salad-with-ginger-dressing/
Or, I have this super yummy kale salad that is fantastic where you can use your pomegranates. https://nourishedlifestylehome.com/pomegranate-kale-cucumber-salad/
You can also use them for breakfast or just a simple snack!
