Pomegranates

Deuteronomy 8:8 "A land of wheat, and barley, and vines, and fig trees, and pomegranates; a land of oil olive, and honey"

Pomegranates are mentioned many, many times in the Bible. I won't go into all the scriptures here, but I will say that the pomegranate is one of the best jewels that God has given us. About 3-4 years ago I started drinking pure Pomegranate juice. I loved it! I loved it more than my pocket book did, it is fairly expensive. This summer on Food Network Alton Brown had a special on Pomegranates. He showed how to seed them, make your own juice, how to cook with them, etc. I was so excited to go and see my first pomegranate and then realized they were not in season and wouldn't be until the Fall. I could not wait until they were in season again!

We were at the store and Nathan pointed them out and I was very excited. Never having bought a pomegranate before to seed (only because I didn't know how) I realized that I didn't even know which ones to look for. I picked a couple that seemed "ok" and home we went. Most people shy away from seeding pomegranates, because they are either afraid, don't want to make a mess or think it is way to much effort to get those seeds out. I followed Alton's method for getting the seeds out and it was super easy!

De-Seeding a Pomegranate
I took a few paper towels and placed the pomegranate on it and then cut it in half. You will have juice come out, but that's alright, just make sure you wipe it up so it won't stain. I then took a fairly large bowl and filled it with halfway with water. Then I took a wooden spoon and hit the back of the pomegranate while holding it over the water. Soon, seeds started falling into the water, the harder you hit the more seeds fall. Basically that is it. You do this until all of the seeds are out from both sides. My hands were never stained in the removal of the seeds. In the water the seeds and the membrane will automatically separate. Strain the seeds and place them in an airtight container. If you have never eaten the seeds when you first bite into one you will get a burst of sweet juice and then the center where the actual seed is will be a little crunchy. Eat this, don't spit it out! This is where all of the fiber is!

Storing pomegranates and seeds.
Since pomegranates are only available from Sept-Dec, or even Oct-Nov depending on where you live you will want to make sure you stock up and enjoy them as long as you can. You can store whole pomegranates in a cool, dark place for about a month. You can store a whole pomegranate in the refrigerator for up to 2 months. Once you have taken the seeds out the seeds will only keep in the refrigerator for 3 days, but they can be frozen for up to a year! Just make sure they are dried off before you freeze them. I have bought pomegranates at two different stores, Kroger and Earth Fare and each place had them for $2.50 each.

So, what is the craze about pomegranates?
Well, they taste great for one! Researchers have reported that they are extremely high in anti-oxidants that can keep bad LDL cholesterol from oxidizing. Pomegranate juice can also keep blood platelets from clumping together to form unwanted blood clots. The juice can improve the amount of oxygen that gets to the heart. There have been some studies that have shown that they can help reduce the risk of some cancers and shrink certain tumors. They are also considered to have anti-inflammatory benefits helping people with things like arthritis. I literally could go on and on about the health benefits associated with one of God's treasures that He gave us. Pomegranates are also high in potassium, high in fiber and they contain vitamin C and niacin.

There are also many recipes out there using the juice and/or seeds of the pomegranate. Happy searching!!