Pomegranates are are rich in nutritional benefits- dietary fibers, anti-oxidants, and vitamin C. Full Belly farmers (and kids!) love to snack on pomegranates during the crisp fall months.

Pomegranates are often used to flavor meat dishes. The seeds can also be sprinkled over salads, cooked greens and desserts, adding a crunchy texture, wonderful color, and sweet-tart flavor.

Extracting pomegranate seeds can be messy, but our Hoes Down kitchen crew demonstrated the following method: Cut the fruit in half or quarters and immerse the pieces in a bowl of water. One by one, break the pieces apart, bending the skin side of the pieces inside out, opening up the membranes and expelling the seeds into the bowl of water. Scoop off the membrane and collect the seeds in a strainer. The seeds can be kept overnight in a covered container in the refrigerator.  Or leave them out in a small bowl and you will find that you love to use them straight as a healthy snack. Martha Stewart has a very helpful video, which can be found here. 

Alternatively, the pomegranates can be juiced with a manual or electric juicer. Those membranes that surround the seeds have a very tannic flavor, so you want to minimize their presence in the juice. If you have removed the seeds you can pulse them in a food processor and then transfer the mix to a sieve and let it drain.

This video also shows an easy seed extraction method: