Pomegranate Paradise

I know you've seen them in the store. Inside, they hold the promise of antioxidant heaven and sweet and sour juice. "What a strange fruit," you think. You may have even liked to try one, but how does one deal with that fruit? You pick it up, hmmm. Then you'll probably come to the conclusion that this odd fruit is not worth your time. In other words, you're intimidated. It's ok, I was too, until last weekend.

The grocery stores in NY do such a wonderful job of showcasing what is in season. I had noticed the giant barrel of poms in "Garden of Eden" the week before, and I decided on a particularly dreary Saturday, it was time to face my fears. I picked it up, got home, took out my tools, and set to work.

I have always heard that you should cut into them and slap them on the back with a spoon to get the seeds out. Tried that...nothing happened. Also, the skin is much more fragile than you may assume so I felt this was too violent of a method. Then I just started to dig in with my fingers and easily pop the succulent seeds out. It turned out to be much easier, not to mention kind of relaxing. The seeds sit in these honeycomb like bunches within the fruit, and after about 15 minutes, I had completed the whole pom. All the seeds happily popped into their bowl, awaiting a beautiful fruit salad for brunch the next day.

In conclusion, I urge you to go out and get yourself a pomegranate. Wash the rind, cut it into smallish sections, and pop out the seeds, happily munching them along the way. Then serve them in a salad, on top of yogurt, or float them in a butternut squash soup. They are delicious, and when you finish, you will feel accomplished, happy, and of course, antioxidantized.