Peeling a Pommie

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Sunday 23 November, 2014 by Uncle Spike

Another question I am often asked, is how the chuff does one peel a pommie (that is, pomegranate to normal folk). Well, there are various ways, but for our large, sweet poms, this is what we generally do…

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Step one

Pick a ripe one. Usually they will start to become scored on the outer husk, or even split open on the tree. The more split, the riper it is, and the sweeter the seeds.

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Step two

Using a sharp but small bladed knife, slowly and gently cut around the flat top of the fruit, taking care not to cut into the flesh too much. After a while you will ‘feel’ the top start to loosen.

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Step three

Remove the top and you will note that the fruit is actually segmented. Using the tip of the knife, score down the line of each segment divider, top to bottom. 

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Continue until all segments are done.

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Step four

Gently prise each segment away from the rest, pulling from the top. Don’t do the whole thing in one hit, but attend to each segment little by little, maybe twice round until the whole fruit has opened up.

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Step five

Remove the central core. Once the segments are opened like that, it’s really easy to take out and the seeds remain in place.

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Step six

Then remove a segment, and using your thumb the seeds can be popped away from the inner husk quite easily. Pushing from the side in a downward manner can remove 20-30 seeds in one go on ripened fruit.

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Step seven

When the entire fruit is done, fill the seed bowl with water. Any creepy crawlies will swim for starters, but also, any remaining pith, husk, skin will usually float too, and can be skimmed off with your hands.

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Step eight

Rinse and drain the seeds.

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Step nine

Pour into a bowl and chomp the bloody lot!

They will keep fresh like that in a fridge for up to a week, but to be honest, ours never last that long. Usually I will ‘do’ 5 or 6 fruit in one go – it’s quite therapeutic work 🙂

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