How To Make Pomegranate Juice (Juice A Pomegranate)
Fresh pomegranate juice contains plenty of vitamin C, which is lost during the pasteurization of commercial juices. There are a number of ways to make your own pomegranate juice, and it is relatively easy to juice a pomegranate, as long as you have a technique. We prefer to press the juice in a citrus press—one of the larger steel standing presses or even the smaller handheld ones will work.
Simply cut the pomegranate in half, crosswise (if the fruit is especially large, or if you are using a juicer with a small capacity, cut the fruit into smaller pieces), then place it, cut side down, in the juicer and press into a bowl. Strain the juice to remove seeds and any sediment. Using Wonderful pomegranates, this method produces a vibrant fuchsia juice that’s as refreshing as it is beautiful. Homemade juice is perfect to drink on its own and is equally well suited to mixing in cocktails or using in recipes.
Home-squeezed juice has more vitamin C
than processed juice. Photo by Elena
Sychugina | IST.
Alternate method #1: Place arils (separated from fruit) in the bowl of a food processor or blender. Pulse until arils release their juices. Strain through a sieve (or perhaps a cheesecloth-lined sieve) to remove any seed pieces.
Alternate method #2: Juice the fruit in an electric juice extractor (what you’d use to make carrot juice). Just cut the fruit in half or quarters and process it in the machine. Doing so—pith, rind and all—yields a juice that is a beautifully deep and dark pink but that is also extremely bitter (the skin and pith contain high levels of tannic acid). For those who aren’t fans of the ultra-astringent, we recommend removing the seeds from the rind and pith before juicing in this manner. Note, however, that the skin contains additional antioxidants and that the juice’s bitterness mellows over time.
Alternate method #3: Roll the whole fruit against a hard surface. (You can put the fruit in a plastic bag to catch any juices that splash out—this stuff stains!) When the popping noises stop, all the juice has been released from the arils. Over a bowl, slit the fruit and squeeze it to release its juice. Strain to remove any errant seeds or pulp.
A medium pomegranate (about nine ounces) yields approximately ½ cup of juice. Freshly-squeezed pomegranate juice can be kept refrigerated for three days, in a sealed container, or frozen for up to six months. (Most commercial varieties will state their shelf life on the packaging.)
Are you “juiced?” Then give up that O.J. (sorry, Florida), which tastes like comfort food but doesn’t help keep you young the way pomegranate juice will. If you don’t enjoy the flavor of pure pom, try the pom/blueberry blend for a double antioxidant boost, or pom/mango for the sheer voluptuousness of mango juice. Pom on!
