HOW TO CLEAN A POMEGRANATE: Pomegranates are ripe when they look a little “beat-up”. It will not be shiny and there should be some slight concave indentions on the sides. To clean: Score around the top (blossom end) about ½-inch to 1-inch down from “blossom”. Remove the top. Score with a knife between each indention. Open along the score lines. Put cold water in a bowl and with a piece of the pomegranate below the water, use a spoon to scope out the seeds. When all the seeds are removed from pomegranate, drain the water well. Put the seeds in a covered container with a couple of pieces of paper towel on the bottom to soak up moisture and store in the refrigerator.
I would have picked this pomegranate as it is shiny and pretty.
Our Costco friend said that ripe pomegranates have a dull skin.
To open the pomegranate, cut off the top, stem end.
See how the skin is wavy? Make cuts into the pomegranate where the skin "waves in" as the seeds are in the part that bulges out.
Using a spoon, scrap the seeds out of the segments under water. If you don't do it under water you will have a mess everywhere.
Drain the seeds.
I put a layer of paper towels in the bottom of the container that I store the pomegranate seeds. Enjoy!!
Great information and pictures! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI'm not so sure about this advice for ripeness. When the fruit is no longer shiny it, is likely heading to being over-ripe. What you see in the photo is a pomegranate that was picked ripe and left for awhile...the skin has dried out and become leathery. While the arils (seeds) inside will still be fine, this is not what you want it to look like on the tree! You don't want to see green colored skin....ripe pomegranates have a range of color, from pink to deep red. It should feel heavy for its size, and it should break off the tree without a massive struggle. If it begins to split or crack then it's getting over-ripe (but will still taste good--split fruit can let insects or mold inside though!). I operate a small farm and have about 25 trees...it's taken me years to understand not to pick them over-ripe!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing. I have a pomegranate tree that is in a pot indoors. Montana is not the best climate for them....I have a fruit that is a little bigger than a baseball. It is turning red, but doesn't feel very heavy. I guess I will experiment with them until I figure it out like you did!
DeleteGood luck. I spent almost two years in Great Falls. Beautiful, but I couldn't even grow a tomato.
DeleteI guess southeastern MT has a better growing season. My garden is always very productive. I used to put the pomegranate tree on the deck in the summer, but it seemed to take a toll on it. It was happier this year just staying in a south window. I'll let you know when I pick it!
DeleteThank you very much for writing to me. I have never seen a pomegranate on a tree. As I said, I received all my information from the lovely lady at Costco. Thank you, thank you.
ReplyDelete