Selecting and deseeding a pomegranate

Customers often ask me " How do l know if a pomegranate is ready to eat ?" You can’t really go wrong, even if they have aged and shrivelled a little, they are probably still fabulous to eat. And you can keep them for up to three weeks. Often l take the ones that are rejected for the shop display because they are a little sad looking, and they are incredible inside💁🏼‍♀️Remember that they are not factory made, so every now and then, there will be a dud. That's just nature 🌱

There are many ways to deseed a pomegranate, and l have tried them all. This method seems to be the most efficient way, and l seem to have nailed deseeding a pomegranate without ending up totally frustrated. It's not elegant but the banging can be quite therapeutic.

Step 1. Before you even cut into the fruit, roll it on the bench and squeeze it slightly for about 20 seconds, to detach some of the seeds inside.

Step 2. Wash the outside ( l always wash my fruit, including lemons and oranges)

Step 3. Slice the pomegranate in half horizontally and hold the fruit with the seeds facing your palm, in a bowl. Then bang the back of the fruit with a rolling pin or heavy wooden spoon. Keep going until all the kernels are out.

Step 4. Pick out any of the white fibres and refrigerate or freeze any seeds you don't use for your next meal. 

Remember that practice makes perfect, and you should always wear an apron even if you think you are a pro. 

Pictured are my daughter Sophia and her Greek grandmother with the same name. They are making a traditional NYE cake decorated with pomegranate and being filmed by Kali Orexi Melbourne. 

An ancient symbol of fertility, regeneration and prosperity, Greek housewives hang the pomegranate on or above their doors throughout the 12 days of Christmas. Right before midnight comes on New Year’s Eve, all family members get out of the house and the lights are shut down to let go of the old year. Once the clock strikes twelve, someone considered to be lucky and happy must roll the fruit against the door of the house to smash and reveal its red seeds as a sign of welcoming the New Year and breaking loose its positive prospects. The more seeds scattered on the floor, the luckier the year will be.

In some areas in Greece, people go to Church with the pomegranate and return with it blessed at home. Then the holder of the fruit must wait for somebody else to open him the door and once inside, he rolls it with force against the door with his right hand (right is for luck, left is for bad luck).