Pomegranate seeds with their sweet-tart flavor, garnet color, and crunch make a nice garnish on autumn salads, entrees, and desserts.  Unfortunately they are messy to retrieve from the interior of the fruit without ending up with little red stains all over your clothing from squirting juice.

To easily remove pomegranate seeds, follow these simple steps:

Fill a large bowl with cold water and carefully slice the top off the pomegranate to expose the seeds.  This is the only time you’ll need to worry about squirting the juice.  Submerge the pomegranate under the water and using both hands, begin to break it apart into sections and carefully pull the seeds away from the membranes.

Keep the fruit submerged below the water so that any juices go into the water instead of spraying you or the kitchen.  Discard the outer shell of the fruit when it has been completely broken apart.

The seeds will sink to the bottom and the thin white membranes in the center will float on the surface.

Pour the water and seeds into a strainer placed over the sink.  Once seeds have been strained, pick out any remaining pieces of interior membrane and discard.  The pomegranate seeds are now ready to use or eat!