‘Tis the season for Pomegranates here in Arizona and if you are finding them in your CSA bag like we are, you might just be pretty excited.
Years ago I would have cringed at the thought of having a lot of pomegranates… they were daunting to peel and enjoy and I wasn’t really sure that the tart flavor was really my cup of tea.
But… over the years, I have grown to love them and now I can’t seem to get enough. Every week I wish I would have picked up more, and thankfully my kids feel the same way about them as I do. Thank goodness for You Tube videos, I consider myself much better at enjoying them – within a few minutes I can toss the outer shell in the compost bin and enjoy a bowl of pomegranate seeds with a spoon.
Absolutely delicious.
Pomegrantes are our new go-to for kombucha flavoring though – but before we can pair with our brewed kombucha, we have to prepare pomegranate juice from fresh pomegrante seeds. Although it might sound more daunting than what it actually is, it really only takes a few minutes.
To get started, wash the pomegranate and pat dry. There are a number of ways to remove the seeds, but I feel that the easiest way is to slice that pomegranate in half, and place the open end face down in your palm. Set a bowl under your palm to catch the seeds that fall through your hand.
Use a heavy metal or wood spoon and smack the back of the pomegranate to remove the seeds. It may take a few minutes for the seeds to work their way out. Repeat the process with the second half. Keep the skin to compost.
Place your pomegranate seeds in your blender along with water – use 1/2 C. water per every 1 C. of pomegranate seeds. Pulse lightly several times to break the outer layer of seeds and release the juice. You want to avoid blending it, because your juice will be rather bitter.
Place a strainer or a sieve over a large bowl, and pour the contents of the blender over the sieve to remove the pulp and extract the juice. Discard the pulp (compost) and enjoy the juice immediately.
Each pomegranate can garnish anywhere from 1/2 – 1 C. of fresh juice, depending on the size. The larger pomegranates can have up to 600 seeds, which will result in more juice.
If you are making kombucha, you will want 2-3 pomegranates for 6 bottles of fresh brewed kombucha – I like to use about 1/4 C. of juice per 16 oz bottle of kombucha. (Find out how to brew your own kombucha at home).
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