Saturday, November 6, 2010

Pomegranate Goodness!



Here's a shout out to Cleo Coyle for

the release of HOLIDAY GRIND in

paperback.

A fabulous mystery— with recipes

in the back. Pick up extra copies for the

holidays! They make great gifts!


* * *
And don't forget to enter Krista Davis's

COOKIE CONTEST. [See link on right.]



Ever since I read the Greek myth
about Persephone, kidnapped by
Hades and forced to live in the Underworld for a few months every year because she ate a few pomegranate seeds, I've been fascinated by the pomegranate.

A few years ago, my neighbors
needed to cut down their
pomegranate tree to make
room for a shed. Well, that
tap root sprouted up some little
shoots, and I decided to try
and replant them in my yard.

Well, those shoots are
now six feet tall and this year, we harvested our first crop of pomegranates.

Yay! I am always fascinated by watching things bloom and grow.

At right, Annie and Otto help
harvest our pomegranates.
Yeah, they think they're balls
for throwing. Silly dogs!

Now, I've seen the seeds used
on salads and yogurts, but
I've also seen bottle of it at
the grocery store. So, I decided since we had over 30 of them, that I wanted to juice them and see how many pomegranates it takes to make an 8 oz glass of juice.


The health benefits of the
pomegranate are almost
too numerous to mention,
but to state just a few:

*Rich in antioxidants
*Helps stop blood clots
*Reduces risk of breast
cancer
*Prevents/slows
prostate cancer

How to make
pomegranate juice:

Cut pomegranate in half.

Using a hand citrus juicer,
squeeze and press
the pomegranate in a
circular motion until no
more juice is released
(I cheated - mine is
motorized).

Repeat with other half
of pomegranate.

Line a colander with
cheesecloth. Strain pomegranate
juice through cheesecloth.

Use juice to drink by
adding sugar (I used agave
nectar) to taste.

Store in the refrigerator
for up to 3 days.

Tip: When picking
pomegranates, choose
ones that are heavy.
They should contain
the most juice.



It took three small to medium
sized pomegranates to make this
6 oz glass of juice. I'm going to juice the rest and freeze it into an ice cube tray.

I think it'll add a nice vitamin boost to our daily glass of juice. And then, I have this idea for a chocolate-pomegranate cupcake, but that's for another post...

Cheers,
Jenn

Jenn McKinlay ~Sprinkle With Murder ~ Buttercream Bump Off
also writing as:Lucy Lawrence ~ Stuck on Murder ~
~Cut to the Corpse~Sealed with a Kill




12 comments:

  1. JENN! - Thank you so, so much for the lovely shout-out on Holiday Grind. It won't be long before I get my hands on your own Buttercream Bump Off in Jan! Really looking forward to seeing what Mel and Angie are up to in you second Cupcake mystery. AND I'm grateful to you for this post. We don't have pomegranate trees (lucky you!!) but we do love POM at our house and it's been way too long since we had that delicious juice. You're so right about the health benefits -- and it's just plain good.

    Have a great weekend, Jenn!
    ~ Cleo
    Coffeehouse Mystery.com
    Cleo Coyle on Twitter

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  2. Oooh, chocolate-pomegranate cupcakes? Great idea!

    Great idea, too, to mention Cleo Coyle's latest paperback release. Isn't that just a fine series? It actually got me - a confirmed tea drinker - into buying fine coffee!

    Can't wait to read Buttercream Bump-off. Cupcakes and a murder mystery--ahh, life is good.

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  3. Oh boy Pomegranates... And I just got a huge bunch (not as good as a back yard full though!

    If you put the arils through a food processor you will get more juice. you do have to strain it.

    I thought of you yesterday, and now I see why (play the theme from twilight zone). I made a cheesecake with a pomegranate molasses drizzle (posted today). I was thinking how well this would work as mini cupcakes with the Pomegranates used as more of a ganache with the arils as decorations. next time...

    come take a look

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  4. I remember the first time my mom opened a pomegranate for us... and said "See all the jewels inside?" I was fascinated. We didn't juice ours, we just sucked on the seeds until we ran out (too soon!). I did the same thing with my girls when they were younger. It's a fun way to introduce a super healthy new fruit, but I never thought of juicing them. Thanks for the idea!

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  5. Pomegranate jelly is the greatest. I haven't had any in ages, but I still can remember it.

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  6. I've got to admit, I never knew what to do with a pomegranate. Now I do. Thanks for the juicer tip!!

    ~Avery

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  7. I adore eating pomegranate but hate the stains on my hands. Jenn, I tried using pomegranate juice when I was working on a Red Velvet cupcake recipe for The Diva Cooks A Goose. The flavor was absolutely wonderful -- alas, not as red as one would expect!

    ~ Krista

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  8. I just bought some as the kids wanted to know what they tasted like. Great post we are going to make juice for tomorrow's breakfast. I do hate the stains though, but worth it.

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  9. Gorgeous! I remember we had a tree when I was little, and I was the only one of us four kids who thought it was worth the work to eat them, so I had my pick of the pomegranates for four years.

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  10. WOW..I'm so excited to learn how pomegranates grow!! I had never really thought about how they grow but now that I know...I'm really impressed! Thanks for the "fun fact" of the day :-)

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  11. We drink pom juice each morning with our fish oil capsules. We don't get to have our own pom tree (I am envious), so we have to purchase.
    I love how a pomegranates look, they are a gorgeous color and shape and the little bloom end is lovely.

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  12. Hi, All! The 5 on my keyboard died and I've been shut out of MLK for two days. ACK!

    I do love my Pomegranate tree. It has become autumn to me now that I'm in the SW and not the NE.

    Dave, I must see you pom molasses in action! Love your cupcake idea.

    Thanks for the love, Laineshots on Buttercream. I'm very excited for it to be OUT!

    Krista, I ended up using beet juice for a red velvet cupcake in DEATH BY THE DOZEN -- never thought of a pom -- doh!

    I think poms are gaining in popularity - you can't argue the health benies!

    Peace out!

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