How to Cut, Eat and Decorate with Pomegranates

Everyone’s favorite winter fruit, I’m sharing my best tips for how to cut, eat and decorate with pomegranates.

One of the many reasons I love eating seasonally is that it prevents me from getting bored with healthy eating. The truth is: if I had to eat the same fruits and vegetables all year round, I would get tired of it and would likely find myself creeping back into poor eating habits.

Instead, I prefer to let the seasons dictate the types of foods I serve myself and my family. Not only does eating seasonally mean better nutrition (fruit picked at the peak of freshness has more nutrients), but it is more readily available and more affordable than trying to source them out of season.

While we often think of seasonal fruit during the summer months, the holidays are also a great time to find in-season produce including oranges, grapefruits, avocados, broccoli, lemons (my favorite) and pomegranates.

With the holidays quickly approaching and pomegranates lining the produce aisles I thought this would be a great time to go through a little tutorial on how to properly cut and remove the seeds from the fruit. To start, simply slice the pomegranate in half, horizontally.

Next, to keep from making a mess, place the two pomegranate halves in a large bowl filled halfway with water. Keeping the fruit immersed underwater, gently pop out the pomegranate seeds. By doing this in the water, you’ll prevent yourself from getting splattered with delicious (but messy!) pomegranate juice.

Once you finish, simply strain the seeds from the water and store in an air-tight container for up to 7 days.

Now that we’ve covered how to cut a pomegranate, let’s talk about ways to enjoy them in food and cocktails! Here are a few of my favorite recipes using pomegranate:

• Acai Bowl with Coconut and Pomegranate
• Sparkling Pomegranate Mimosas
• Roasted Garlic Whipped Feta Crostini with Pomegranate
• Freekeh with Tahini, Chickpeas and Pomegranate
• Pomegranate Moscow Mule
• Warm Hummus with Ground Lamb and Pomegranate

Lastly, did you know you can also decorate with pomegranate? Similar to using citrus, whole pomegranates are perfect for use in centerpieces, table accents and more. In fact, I used them recently along with other seasonal fruit to style a table runner for a dinner party.

Happy Holidays, friends!