Tutorial: How to peel a Pomegranate

If you've ever tried to eat a pomegranate without knowing how to get into it, your hands, face, kitchen and any other near-by objects probably looked something similar to this...

Thankfully, my oh-so clever sister Kasi showed me the tricks of the trade with these intense little fruits before I got any in my Bountiful Basket and wreaked havoc in my little apartment.  I'm here to pass on the knowledge and save your cupboards from being stained eternally.  Yes I know, you're welcome.  

We begin with the fruit:

Take a sharp knife and run slits through the tough skin.  If you see some of the dark red juice come out, that's okay.  You know you've gotten through the thick white pith.

Now, put cool water in a large mixing bowl so you can work on removing the peel under the water's surface.  This eliminates juice spraying everywhere.

This is where that bowl of water gets even more useful...  When you break into the segments of seeds stuck in the pith, you can gently ease the seeds out and let go of everything.  In your hands, at least.  The seeds sink and the peel and pith rise, so they're easy to separate later.

Skim off all of the unwanted peel and pith, and discard.

Strain the seeds and VOILA!  Eat up!  These things are tasty... They're supposedly packed with those famously healthy antioxidants and all that jazz.  The little white seeds inside each precious juicy jem are harmless and they give a pleasant crunch. 

Something fun to do is blend these up until it's liquid, strain the white seeds out, add sugar and reduce to a syrup on the stove.  I poured it over waffles.  YUM!

Happy eating, ya'll!