Monthly Newsletter Full Articles

Pomegranates: Juicing, Freezing, and Making Molasses

Henry Shaw, UC Master Food Preserver Online Program Volunteer

 

Pomegranate (Punica granatum) is a wonderful seasonal fruit that is available fresh in the late summer to early autumn, providing us with jewel-like “arils” (the juicy, brightly colored covering of the actual pomegranate seeds) that are as beautiful as they are flavorful. This is the perfect time to capture and preserve their essence in the form of frozen arils, frozen pomegranate juice, or by making pomegranate molasses, a rich, tangy syrup made from pomegranate juice.

Although you can make pomegranate molasses from commercial pomegranate juice (read the label to make sure it is pure pomegranate juice with no added ingredients), if you have access to fresh pomegranate fruit, making molasses from the juice of that fruit is a wonderful way to preserve its essence.

The first step in juicing your pomegranates is to remove the arils from the fruit (i.e., “seed” the pomegranates). If you’ve never done this before, the task can seem daunting, but it’s not that hard. The next sections of this article describe how to get pomegranate arils out of the fruit, how to extract the juice, and what to do with the arils and juice once you have them.  If you simply want to know how to make pomegranate molasses using commercial juice,  skip over the next sections and jump to the recipe at the end of this article.

 

Extracting pomegranate arils

There are two basic methods to go about extracting the arils from a pomegranate. Note that for both methods, it’s best to wear an apron as you can expect some splatter of pomegranate juice, which can stain fabrics!

For the first method, cut the fruit in half across its “equator”, then hold one of the halves in one hand over a deep bowl. The fingers of the hand holding the pomegranate should be spread apart from one another. Hold a wooden spoon or similar tool in the other hand and smack the back of the pomegranate sharply with the tool. The arils should start to fall out of the pomegranate into the bowl. Continue hitting the back of the pomegranate until nearly all the arils have been released. The stubborn remaining ones can be picked out by hand. Expect the rind of the pomegranate to split up as you hit it. This method is fast, but will result in more work picking the white pith out of the separated arils in the next step.

For the second method, slice off the stem and blossom ends of the fruit, exposing the arils within. You should see areas rich in arils that are separated by white membranes, similar to citrus segments. As best you can, score the rind of the fruit along the lines of those membranes from stem to blossom end, and then tear the pomegranate apart along those cuts. Take each of the resulting sections and use your fingers to rub the arils off the white pith to which they are attached.  This takes longer than the “whacking” method, but results in less white pith that needs to be removed in the next step.

Whichever method you use, the next step is to put the separated arils into a bowl with enough water to cover them by an inch or two so you can cleanly separate the arils from any remaining white pith, which is bitter. The pith will float, and the arils will sink. Remove as much of the pith attached to arils as possible by massaging the arils and skimming out the floating white pith.

Strain out the arils using a strainer or colander and dry them on paper towels.

At this point, you can freeze the arils for future use by spreading them out on a pan or plate and putting it into the freezer. Once the arils are frozen solid, pack them into freezer bags or vacuum seal them in pouches for storage in the freezer for up to a year.

 

Juicing pomegranate arils

Once you have the arils separated from the fruit, it’s easy to make juice.  Put the arils in a blender or food processor and whirl or pulse them for a few seconds to break open the juicy sacs.  Use a spatula to push down any arils that might be stuck to the sides of the container above the liquid and blend again for a few seconds.  Pour the resulting mash into a fine strainer over a bowl and press on the solids to extract as much juice as possible. At this stage, the resulting juice will likely have some residual pulp/solids in it and be somewhat cloudy.  This is acceptable for freezing the juice or for making pomegranate molasses, but to make the juice clearer (i.e., for making jelly),  pass it through a jelly bag, perhaps repeatedly, to remove the remaining solids.

 

Using your pomegranate juice

The pomegranate juice can be frozen in freezer-safe containers for future use. To help maintain the color of the juice, it’s recommended, but not necessary, to add a scant ¼ teaspoon of ascorbic acid to each quart of juice.  Be sure to leave ½” of headroom in the container so the juice can expand as it freezes.

You can process pomegranate juice in a boiling-water or atmospheric steam canner to make a shelf stable product; however, canned juice may turn brown and lose its flavor.  Freezing is the preferred method.  If you want to make shelf-stable juice, be sure to add ¼ teaspoon of ascorbic acid before processing.  Use sterilized jars^* and process pints or quarts for 5 minutes at elevations below 1000 feet.  Process for 10 minutes at elevations between 1000 – 6000 ft., and for 15 minutes above 6000 ft.

 

Making pomegranate molasses

Pomegranate molasses is a staple in many Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines, and its deep, sweet-sour flavor adds complexity to everything from salad dressings to marinades and even desserts. Whether drizzled over roasted vegetables, mixed into dips, or stirred into cocktails, homemade pomegranate molasses brings a touch of seasonal luxury to any meal throughout the year.

Making pomegranate molasses is very simple, but a little time consuming.  It involves using low heat to reduce the volume of a mixture of pomegranate juice with optional additions of sugar and lemon juice to about 25% of the original volume.  Expect that it will take 2-3 hours to reduce 4 cups of starting liquid to 1 cup of molasses.

It’s possible to make pomegranate molasses with just pomegranate juice with no additions, but it’s recommended to add some sugar as this will shorten the time needed to reduce the liquid to a syrup stage, as well as increase the yield of molasses (i.e., lower amounts of sugar will require more of the initial liquid to be evaporated). Start with the suggested amount of sugar in the recipe below. If you prefer a sweeter molasses, add additional sugar as the mixture reduces in volume. (Taste the product as it reduces.) The lemon juice is also optional, but it helps retain the color of the original juice, as well as add flavor and tartness. 

It's very important to keep the juice from boiling during the process.  Boiling will cause the product to turn brown and it will lose its fresh pomegranate flavor.  Ideally, the temperature should be kept between 190° - 200°F as the liquid evaporates.  An occasional boiling bubble is ok but lower the heat if the liquid starts to bubble vigorously.

 

Pomegranate Molasses Recipe

Yield: ~1 cup molasses

 

Ingredients:

4 cups pomegranate juice (fresh or commercial bottled juice with no additives)

1/3 cup white sugar (can omit or use up to 1 cup, to taste)

4 Tbsp lemon juice (can omit or use up to 1 cup, to taste)

 

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a large, heavy saucepan (a larger surface area will reduce the time needed to reduce to a syrup)

Turn on the stove and heat the mixture, stirring continuously until the sugar is dissolved.  Adjust the heat to maintain a very low simmer (190° - 200°F). Continue to stir frequently until the liquid has reduced to about 25% of the original volume and is syrupy. When ready, the liquid should coat a spoon.  Note that the syrup will get thicker when it cools.  It will take 2-3 hours to reduce 4 cups of initial liquid to 1 cup of molasses.

Pour the hot molasses into a sterilized jar^* and store in the refrigerator for up to a year.                                                      

 

^*(To sterilize a jar, put the jar in a pot, cover completely with water, and boil for 10 minutes if you live at an elevation below 1000 feet.  Add 1 minute of boiling time for each additional 1000 feet of elevation.)