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I've seen some plump pomegranites at my local grocery store today. But my worry is how to eat/serve them? Are the seeds edible? Apologies for being a pom novice.

Yep, you can eat everything except the nasty white parts. The seeds taste pleasantly nutty. Slice it in half (or if you're feeling daring, score it and try to pull it apart) and start pulling seeds out. Wear clothes you don't mind staining because the juice does NOT come out.

god i love pomegranates! it's a newfound love for me. the first time i tried pomegranate seeds i was grossed out hehe. my sister had handed me a section and instructed me to just eat the seeds right off it - but i got too much bitter white stuff.

later on i realized that the only way i like pomegranates is to deseed the entire thing and eat them in a bowl with a spoon :)

so yum!

i cut a bit of the top off, score the pom four ways and pull it apart. then i take each section, seeds pointing down into the bowl (not UP where all the juice goes flying), and with my fingers massage the seeds on out. i've tried deseeding them in water, but wet pom seeds don't taste as good and i'm too excited to go through the process of patting dry ;)

oh and hey, if anyone in nyc can tell me the best $1 pomegranate they've found, i'd be forever grateful. i'm on the mad mission! poms are so damn expensive!

I did a how-to-seed a pom blog not too long ago:

http://emily-m-b.blogspot.com/2008/09/what-to-do-with-pomegranate.html

complete with photos. Once you get your groove down it's not hard. And I put them in everything from salads to champagne.

a friend taught me this trick: fill a large bowl with water, cut the pomegranate into quarters and then drop the pieces in the water. with the pieces submerged, break them apart, the seeds fall to the bottom and the pithy white parts float to the top (and the juices don't get all over your clothes). skim off the white pith and you got yourself a bowl of clean seeds.

i like the seeds in a salad with pistachios and oranges.

I made a really delicious rice pilaf last Thanksgiving with pomegranate seeds, based on this recipe: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=7449.0

Sooooo good. (I bought about three times as many pomegranates as I need for the dish, though ... and ate every one.)

Cheap Pomegranates in NYC?
Try Chinatown.. Theres one particular strand of stands (on Elizabeth, maybe?.. its on the corner close to Kam Man Market) that usu. has the best prices.
Dont know about a buck a pop.. but Ive paid $5 for 3 or 4 large pieces.

Good luck!

On a whim, years ago, my parents planted a pomegranate tree in their backyard. It still grows very nicely, and I wonder why I don't see them being offered in plant nurseries any more (my parents are not the type to plant from seed).

It is very nice to not have to pay high prices for this delicious fruit.