Don’t you love pomegranates?  They’re so beautiful.  When I was a little girl, I thought the seeds all looked like shining jewels.  I still kind of think so.

I mean, just look at these photos.  There is a wealth of precious jems in there.

Today I’m going to ramble a bit, and then I’ll teach you how to peel a pomegranate.  Pretty basic, but very useful to know.  🙂

Before I go into that, however, I have to note – My mother told me that if I’m writing about pomegranates, I should remind you all that they are super good for you.  The blogger within says, “Yes, that is logical.  That is something people would want to know.”  (My mom is very wise.)  Anyway, since I’m not a health food expert (obviously, if you follow my blog… I talk about butter and sugar a lot), from browsing the internet, I hear that they’re good for your heart, your bones, your blood pressure, and they have anti-cancer properties as well.  Not to mention they’re a great antioxidant.  Definitely a keeper.  So keep that in mind.  And maybe memorize it so that you can sound like a health food expert the next time someone wants to know what these are good for.  😉

Otherwise, I say…

Pomegranates look like Christmas.

They always remind me of Christmas…

…And they particularly remind me of this one Christmas, where our house almost burned down…  :[

…But never mind about that.

I think they could be a great way for people to spend some time together over the holidays.  Don’t you?  (When their houses aren’t burning down, that is.)  There’s nothing like applying yourself to a little challenge to provide some good bonding time when you’re not working and there’s nothing better to do.  They’re like puzzles, only you get to eat them in the end.

Sometimes I think maybe God designed pomegranates with my dad in mind.  He loves to solve little puzzles, untangle little knots, or, in this case, pick little bits of fruit out of a maze of membrane.  They are perfect for him.

Okay, okay.  I’ll stop rambling now.  You might wanna know how I suggest opening one of these.

Well, there are many ways.  I’m going to recommend a simple one, however, so you can put that chain saw away; this is a day for paring knives.  😉

First, cut a shallow slit all the way around the top of the pomegranate (with a paring knife), like so:

Next, pull it off.  You might pierce a few seeds in the process, but no matter.  There are plenty more where those came from!

After that, score about 4 slits from the top to the bottom of the pomegranate, about 1/4 of the way around for each.

Now, for a holiday bonding opportunity: You can just stick a bunch of these quarters into a bowl and stick ’em in the middle of of the table.  Happy health food puzzles for everyone.  😀

Back soon!

–Naomi