California

Pomegranates are great this time of year. Those red little seeds filled with a sweet and sour juice are amazing. This great article is from North County Times and talks about the greatness of the pomegranate and even gives a recipe at the end. Try it and tell us on Facebook how it goes.

By LAURA GROCH

Pomegranates are my topic today. These bright-red fruits ---- to me, the trees look pre-decorated for Christmas, dotted with red globes ---- ripen and come into their best in California's autumn and winter.

I've been eyeing a tree in my neighborhood and hoping for some windfall fruit. (So are the squirrels and birds, and frankly, they're on the job 24/7, so my odds aren't good.) What makes these fruits so desirable?

Well, they're colorful: A bowl full of ruddy pomegranates makes a lovely autumn decoration, and they last a long time. The juicy, fiber-filled seeds are valued for salads, ice cream, even to top cereal.

You can turn the juice, which is full of heart-protecting and cancer-fighting antioxidants, into jelly; add it to salad dressings, marinades, and cocktails; or just drink it straight.

Getting at those seeds, called arils, can be messy. An easy way to remove them without baptizing yourself and your kitchen in scarlet juice is to conduct the whole operation underwater. (And I don't mean getting into the pool.)

Just get a large bowl, fill it with water, then put a pomegranate into the water. Keep it submerged as you slice it open, then carefully peel apart the white pith and dislodge the seeds. When you're done, scoop out the large parts of the peel and pith, then drain away the water and voila! Stain-free seeds! Use as is or freeze until you need them. They'll freeze up to six months, but don't expect them to keep their pretty shapes after freezing, says the Pomegranate Council (http://pomegranates.org/index.php).

But oh, those seeds. Reader Pam Walton posted this to my Facebook page: "The seeds are not soft and a lot of work to get them out. Where can you buy the seeds locally so there is no work?"

Read more from the original article: http://www.nctimes.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/columnists/groch/groch-seeing-red-can-be-a-good-thing/article_e4ddcd71-7df9-50a4-96ab-4633399cb5e6.html