January 2010 Archives

Pomegranates, 3-4 large  (typically 1/2 cup of juice is extracted from a fruit)


Pomegranates are in season!

So with fresh always being best, I'm going to explain how you can make your own Pomegranate juice at home. Pomegranates are full of antioxidants and nutrients; they're good for your bones, brain, heart, lungs and teeth. Pomegranate juice also has amazing anti-cancer properties.

If you've been intimidated to juice these red beauties, consider that a thing of the past! Here are some super simple steps to getting you well on your way to quenching your pomegranate thirst!

• Put on some protective clothing, like an apron, to protect you and your clothing from the red pomegranate juice. This juice can stain your clothing and the juicing process can be a bit messy.
• Cover your counter tops with paper shopping bags or old dish towels. This will help to prevent the pomegranate juice from staining your counters. Some counter surfaces will become stained when pomegranate juice touches them, so use some caution.
• Holding the pomegranate in your hand, use a heavy wooden spoon or other kitchen tool as a tapping device on the pomegranate. The idea is to completely tap the entire fruit so you loosen the seeds before opening.   
• Cut the pomegranate skin and peel open with your knife. You will do these quarter sections at a time. You don't want to cut completely through the fruit because this will cause you to lose precious juice and seeds.
• Hold the cut pomegranate over a large glass bowl (be careful not to use plastic, it will stain) and pull out the seeds using your fingers. Allow the seeds to fall into the bowl. The seeds are in pods throughout the pomegranate so for our purposes here don't worry too much about removing every piece of the white pod, for your milk bag will catch those pieces. Another way to remove the seeds is to submerge the pomegranate pieces into a bowl full of water. The water does help to release the seeds, but it also reduces the seeds flavor by allowing the pomegranate juices to escapes through this process. So if you use this method use a small amount of water.
• Once you've removed the seeds, add your bowl's contents to your food processor. Place the processor on pulse for a minute or two just to break up the seeds so they release their juice.
• Pour the blended pomegranate seeds into your milk bag over the original deseeding bowl and squeeze the juice from the seed pulp. The seed fibers will remain in the milk bag. Continue to squeeze until no juice remains.
• You can enjoy the juice straight up or mix the pomegranate juice with orange, apple or grape juice, or any other juice if desired. Pure pomegranate juice can taste a bit bitter; if this is the case add a small amount of Agave to taste.
• Store remaining pomegranate juice in a glass container and refrigerate.