How To De-Seed and Juice A Pomegranate...

It's still November, but everywhere I seem to go and read nowadays is blaring Christmas. My kids urged us to get the family tree up, and for the first time in years, it's erected, decorated and sparkling waaay ahead of schedule! 

Two pomegranates have been sitting on the kitchen counter. My second son loves the pearly bright red seeds, and I thought how lovely it would be to juice them for a beverage-- perfect to toast with as a prelude to the Yuletide season. Not only are they juicy, crunchy pops of tart flavour, they're nutritious-- a great source of fibre, vitamins C and K. Instead of picking the kernels out one by one, we discovered a fun, clever and mess-free way of de-seeding a beautiful pom ode to Jamie Oliver. No more stained fingertips, but just make sure you're not wearing white!

Wash the pomegranate well. Any time you’re cutting into a fruit or vegetable with a skin or rind, you take the chance of introducing bacteria from the outer surface into the edible portion. Slice the pomegranate in half horizontally.

Take one of the halves and hold the cut side down in the palm of your hand spreading your fingers a bit over a medium size bowl. Take a wooden spoon and tap firmly on the top surface and then give it some good whacks to release the red kernels. They tumble out through your fingers into the bowl. Continue to firmly tap until all seeds have been removed. Repeat with other half. Remove any bits of white pith that may have fallen in.

You can also fill the bowl with cold water to release the seeds in.

Here's Jamie Oliver's one-minute video for making de-seeding and juicing a beautiful pomegranate easy.

Jamie Oliver's One-Minute Tips

You can eat the kernels straight (consuming the seeds or spitting them out), or juice them which makes a fine beverage. I find scooping the released seeds back into the empty pom shell and squeezing produces more juice than if you didn't release the seeds first. 

TIPS: Store pomegranate seeds in the refrigerator in an airtight container or zippered bag. They will keep this way for 4-5 days. They can also be frozen and stored for several months. 

Serve over ice or straight! To ringing in the last month of the year!