Pomegranate’s are pretty, they make up bits in potporri baskets and appear in fall designs and wreaths, on our dinner tables and around the home as decor. You have probably walked past them in the grocery store, smiling whimsically at the thought of purchasing one, though not knowing what you will do with it when you get it back home.

The thing is they are delicious. They are also good for you high in anti-oxidants, and polyphenols. They would make a wonderful addition to your fruit bowl and an ingredient in many dishes that are good for you. It has been cultivated for millenia in Iran and up to the Himalayas and throughout the Mediterranean regions. Now is the time for Pomegranates as they arrive in markets late summer, early fall. You have most likely tasted the sweet juice of the pomegranate and not even known it if you have ever had Grenadine added to a mixed drink or ever had a shirley temple as the Spanish word for pomegranate is grenadine.

To eat them you really just need to slice right into the leathery skin and quarter the fruit. Wear an apron as the juice is a brilliant, ruby red and has a tendency to squirt out of the fruit when cut. Inside you will find a fleshy-white pulp in which lots and lots of little seed pods of garnet are enclosed. These seeds are what you want to use. Just invert the quarter of each pomegranate slice over a bowl and gently remove the seeds with your hands. You can eat them whole or spit them out after you have enjoyed the flavor packed seeds! You can also press them gently through a sieve and extract the crimson juice for use in dishes, though I would recommend purchasing something called Pomegranate Molasses as this is a syrupy and very thick pressing of many pomegranates for use in dishes as you won’t get as much juice from pressing. Grenadine isn’t recommended as it is sweetened and contains a lot of sugar. What I like to do with Pomegranate seeds is once I get them into the bowl, throw away the pulp and the leathery flesh, and toss them into a nice salad as a crunchy, fruity, pop. One of my favorite salads this time of year is something that uses seasonal ingredients, like Pomegranates, apples, and mixed greens. If you like add some bone boosting cheese such as a tangy chevre from vermont or california like Humboldt Fog, or Cypress Grove Purple Haze.

I like to take a great extra virgin olive oil, maybe some Sciabica’s olive oil infused with lemon, and a sherry vinegar and whisk them together a little. A good ratio to remember for viniagrettes is 1:3 vinegar to oil. Or just take your greens and lightly toss them in the oil and splash a touch of vinegar. Season lightly with salt and pepper and add diced fall apples such as Honeycrisp and your pomegranate seeds and an ounce of cheese. You can also add some roasted, skin-off chicken that has cooled to the salad, or even bulk it up with roasted butternut squash that has been diced into bite-sized pieces. As far as the pomegranate molasses is concerned if you can find it in the Asian or Indian food aisle use it to drizzle on poultry or into rice pilaf. It isn’t sweet enough itself to use on ice cream, but the seeds are! I look for Mediterranean or import stores for the molassas.

Think of the pomegranate as versatile and you won’t be scared away from it. Eat it as a popcorn substitute while watching a movie, or drop some into Sangria for an exotic, fruity kick. You can bake chicken with it, or add it on top of yogurt for a parfait with some grapes and granola. The health benefits are worth the little work it takes it get the sparkling, ruby seeds out and into the bowl for use in so many ways. So next time you think of passing by the unassuming pomegranate think again, and put one in your basket.