How to Turn Any Pomegranate Into a Plastic-Free "Bottle" of Pomegranate Juice

I appreciate convenience as much as the next person, and I won't fault anyone for taking advantage of bottled and packaged products when they need to. But I've loved this little pomegranate-juice trick since I first read about it many years ago. I'm pretty sure I saw it in a cookbook by Persian cooking expert Najmieh Batmanglij, but it was so long ago I'm not certain.

The idea is simple. Instead of buying expensive bottles of pomegranate juice, do this old-school trick: Using your thumbs, press all over the pomegranate, bursting the seeds within—and this is important—without splitting the skin.

It takes a small amount of care to pull this off, but it's absolutely doable. You just need to feel out how hard to press, which is enough to feel the seeds pop inside the skin but not so much the skin itself gives way. Make sure to work every last part of the pomegranate, as the goal is to break as many of the seeds as possible.

Eventually, the pomegranate will transition from feeling firm with a thick and durable skin to something more like a deflated, water-filled toy basketball. It's fun to do, and, for me anyway, very satisfying.

Once you've fully squished and squashed the inside of the pomegranate, just about when it feels like the skin will all but burst, you're ready to enjoy. Now, carefully tear a small hole in the pomegranate skin and drink as if from a goatskin water bag, because that's still a relatable experience for all of us, right? If not, I recommend reading more Hemingway; you'll come to feel like it's a thing you know intimately.

If done correctly, the pomegranate will gush into your mouth. It might be messy. You should probably do this outside. In clothes you don't mind staining. But let it bring scarlet-streaked joy to your heart!

Now, do I recommend this method for situations where you need a lot of juice? No, better to buy juiced pomegranate in that case, or use a juicer or a blender to pulverize and strain the juice. But for a single-serving sip of juice? This method can't be beat for its hands-on fun and Earth-friendliness. No plastic—just 100% compostable scraps when you're all done. Top that!