Wednesday, October 28, 2009

How To Seed A Pomegranate

I've always been a little intimidated about removing pomegranate seeds from the shell. The process always seemed to take a long time and was very messy.
This is no longer the case.
Last night when I was at my BIL's house he showed me the fastest method for seeding pomegranates.

First he cut the pomegranate in half, and held the cut side over a bowl. With his fingers slightly separated he whacked the top several times repeatedly with a spoon. Right away the majority of the seeds completely fell into the bowl.
He seeded about 6 pomegranates within minutes, and filled the bowl to the top.

I had googled "How to seed a pomegranate". They showed a laborious 7- step method of scoring the pomegranate, soaking it for 10 minutes in a bowl of cold water, and then peeling and carefully removing the membranes. Too much work in my opinion. Should I send them on to Stan?

Once the seeds were gathered, Stan filled the bowl with water. Any left over membranes floated to the top and were easily removed. He then placed the seeds in a stainer to drain the water.

Pomegranates have many health benefits. They are brimming with antioxidants, improve heart health and good blood circulation.
Some studies show that regular consumption not only stops hardening of the artery walls and build up in plaque, it even reverses these problems.
The pomegranate is native to the regions of Persia, and some remains have been found from 1,000 BC near the borders of Eastern Europe.
Many cities in Turkey use the pomegranate as their official logo.

Pomegranates have a short season, but may be frozen. My SIL Kathy will lay the seeds on a cookie sheet and place them in the freezer. Once they are frozen, she will transfer them to a zip-lock bag and return them back to the freezer. They can then be used in many recipes.
This morning Mr. Cactus and I had pomegranate seeds on top of our warm oatmeal. Yum!
When the early pioneers first came to deserts of Southern Utah they found it easy to grow pomegranates and pecans. They created "Dixie Salad" which is still a favorite in this area today.
DIXIE SALAD
Apples, chopped
Pomegranate seeds
Pecans, chopped
Whipped cream, enough to blend them with.
(Some people also like to add grapes, bananas or crushed pineapple)

When I saw McConkie's pomegranate trees, I wanted to plant one in our backyard also. I originally found a little Charlie Brown type pomegranate twig at Costco for $16. I thought there wouldn't be too much $$ output if it died.
This is my tree now. Right away it began to flourish, and grew rapidly even in the intense heat of summer. I have gone out and talked to it, and told it how proud I am of it's growth. I'm hoping by next October to have some fruit to brag about.

14 comments:

Mary Grace McNamara said...

What a great tip for people who want the seeds but don't want to pick them out one by one! I love pomegranate juice, but can't stand biting into that little seed. Just like raspberries, the seeds give me the creeps! Maybe I'll get some and juice them though....yum!

MGM

Sherri said...

Pomegranates are so plentiful here...yet I didn't know this wonderful tip for seeding! Thanks so much...I love them...and love to make jelly from the juice!

Lurline said...

I know they grow in Australia, but I haven't seen them. I'm pleased you talk to you plants, Nedra - I do that too!
Hugs - Lurline♥

Unknown said...

Nedra, I just love these pomegranate posts. So very interesting. Now I know how to quickly seed one. I just know that your plant will continue to flourish and bear fruit. My grandmother was a true believer in talking to her plants and they were always healthy! So keep on talking.

Carrie said...

I'm so glad you passed this tip along. We love to eat them but hate to pick them out one by one. I think I'll have to try the jam recipe too...yum!!

Anonymous said...

My method was learned in childhood. Throw it at the base of an outdoor wall. Make sure it hits the wall and concrete floor at the same time. Seeds will remove themselves. Hose down area afterward (unless you're collecting ants for an ant farm project).

Grandma Barbie said...

My husband and I just picked about five buckets of pomegranates this evening (Moapa, NV). I was going to give most of them away, because it is too much work to make jelly. Now I am going to try Stan's method!
Thanks..

Jana said...

LOL! It's so nice to know that other people talk to their plants too! You should have heard me coaxing my garden to grow this summer! :)

Carin said...

Wow I didn't even think you could do that I have always eaten them by picking them out one by one. Thanks!

Quilting Queen said...

Thanks for the tip. I rarely buy pomegranates because I never knew how to get the seeds out without it being a huge hassel. Now I can't wait to buy them and give this a try.

Trisha said...

I just got back from the grocery store. Darn! I wish I would have read this before I went. :)

Janet said...

I saw that trick on Martha Stewart and tried it. I made splashes, lol. Next time I'll wear an apron and not be too enthusiastic.

Anonymous said...

I know I'm a year late to this post... but I just love the part where you told the tree how proud you were of it!

Has it continued to do well?

~ Meagan

Robin (RsIslandCrafts) said...

Love the de-seeding tip. We have been doing the 7 step program. My 11 year old son LOVES Pomegranate seeds. Thanks for the tip about freezing the seeds also. I think I will try some in oatmeal tomorrow :)