The Pompous Pomegranate

Well, I had to cut into it - it was perfectly ripe.  Now I feel pompous because I, upon my very first try, have successfully opened and extracted the seeds of a pomegranate.

It was ripe because it was a crimson color; the round shape changed to slightly square sides, and the petals on the crown turned inside. It also felt slightly heavy.

In order to get to these precious seeds, I cut off the flowery end of the pomegranate, scored the fruit into sections and soaked the fruit in a bowl of water for five minutes.  Then I broke the sections open in the bowl of water and gently pulled the seeds out with my fingers, letting the seeds sink to the bottom of the bowl.  I threw the rind and membrane away, and I drained the water from the seeds.

Aren't these beautiful seeds!  I would recommend sprinkling them over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or sliced pear. They're delicious in a bowl of cereal and also on a salad.  The possibilities are endless.  Or, you can just plain eat them as is - nothing wrong with that! The pomegranate isn't so intimidating after all!

This is just to keep you busy until I post the first recipe - it's coming soon, I promise!