Pomegranates 101: A Complete Guide 

The pomegranate isn’t something you’ll want to bite into. Rather, you’ll need to cut through the skin to get to the flesh and extract the arils. Before you do that, though, put on a pair of gloves and an apron, because pomegranates are messy and can easily stain whatever you’re wearing. Trim off the crown end of the fruit, which is the end that sticks out more than the other.

Next, you’ll score the skin of the pomegranate a total of three or four times until you can easily break it into smaller pieces. Place the pieces of the fruit in a bowl of water and use your hands to deseed and release the arils from the rind. The arils will sink to the bottom of the bowl. When you’ve extracted all the arils in the fruit, toss the rind, which should be floating at the top of the bowl, and strain the rest of the bowl’s contents until you’re left with only the arils.

You can enjoy the arils as is, or you can place them in a blender to release their pulp and juices. According to Tori Avey’s food and recipe website, after a few pulses (don’t blend too long or the juice will become cloudy), strain the juice from what’s left of the seeds, and enjoy.

Pomegranate seeds can add tart flavor to salads, yogurt, and oatmeal, and are used in smoothies and other recipes. The juice can be enjoyed straight, blended into smoothies, or mixed into mocktails, cocktails, salad dressings, and sauces.