When I was a child, my family had two healthy bushes of pomegranates in our front courtyard. They were always alluring as they changed color from deep golden to bright red. I was constantly tempted to pluck the fruit from the tree before it was fully ready. Once they were ripe, my siblings and I would sit on a bench with our pomegranates in hand, and our spitting contest began!
To eat the a pomegranate, first use a small paring knife to cut the circumference. From there, you can tear the fruit into big chunks and start removing the seeds using a plate a catch them. We would pop a handful of seeds in our mouth and suck all the juice. At the time, we were told never to eat seeds from any fruits as they might grow in our stomach. Well, like good children we believed our parents. So, instead of spitting our seeds on a plate like civilized people, we attempted to spit as far as we could while delicious juice ran down our faces. To my brother‘s delight, he always won. What fond memories I have of eating pomegranates!
There are more ways to enjoy these rich in in Vitamin C and antioxidants. You can eat them plain out of hand, seeds and all. You can mix it in salads. You can use the juice in marinates for poultry, lamb, or game meats, or make sorbet. There is a pomegranate molasses that I use in baking as well as a glaze on meats.
My favorite use has to be grenadine: pomegranate syrup used to flavor drinks. You can make it at home by boiling 1 cup pomegranate juice, one teaspoon lemon juice, and ½ cup sugar, and cook down for 10 minutes until syrupy. I serve it on pancakes, waffles, French toast, and crepes.
