Myra's Kitchen Blog » Last Pomegranate of the Season

It’s the end of pomegranate season. Although the peak season for the heavy red fruit is autumn, pomegranates store well in the refrigerator for up to a couple of months. Even at the end of February there are usually a few stragglers that can be found. I happen to have one such red beauty left in my refrigerator that I plan on making the most of. Here’s some direction on how to open a pomegranate easily and neatly:

The bright red flesh-covered seeds, call arils, are nestled neatly into the plump heavy fruit and are divided by a thin white pith. As a kid, I thought the sweet/tart pomegranates were great fun to eat, but I usually ended up with a bright red mouth and a splattered shirt. You can avoid getting splattered by the arils by the following method: Slice the crown off, then cut off the skin by tracing your knife down the fruit in an arc, trying not to cut into the arils.

Immerse the fruit in a bowl of water, break it into sections, and free the arils from the white pith.

The white pith floats to the top, where it can be strained out along with the water. Enjoy them sprinkled on a salad, or over cooked greens or dessert. Or simply eat the juicy arils, seeds and all, as a delicious snack.

While pomegranates won’t make another appearance for a good eight months or so, you can continue to enjoy pomegranate juice and pomegranate molasses or syrup, which are available year round.

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