It’s the time of year where pomegranates appear in the produce section of the grocery store. This round fruit is about the size of a softball and has shiny red, leathery skin with a blossom end that looks like a crown. They make a decorative holiday centerpiece for the dinner table, but they also make a highly nutritious snack or ingredient. But if you cut into one thinking it is like an apple, you’re in for a surprise. Hundreds of tiny red seeds called arils are embedded in a white, bitter flesh. The arils are the part you eat, and as you crunch into them you are blasted with a slightly sweet, slightly tart juice. The trick, however, is getting these arils out.

1. Cut off the top with a knife, about a half-inch below the crown. 
2. Using a knife, score the fruit, cutting about a quarter inch deep, from top to bottom into sections and open it up with your hands over a bowl of water to catch the loose arils.
3. The arils will sink while the white flesh will float. Skim the white flesh off the top and discard.
4. Strain the water and you’re left with just the arils.

Pomegranates are an excellent source of potassium and are packed with disease-fighting antioxidants, vitamin C and dietary fiber. Use pomegranates to add color and flavor in salads, grain dishes and holiday drinks. Add a pomegranate to your grocery cart this year and enjoy this fun fruit!