I fell in love with coconut water when I was in Brazil, where you could walk up to a stand on the beach and the vendor would chop off the top of the coconut with a machete, then hand you the entire coconut. Okay, maybe that's not the most realistic thing in the United States, especially not in Ohio. But, thankfully for me, coconut water is sold in grocery stores now.


You've probably seen coconut water in the grocery store. It's usually in a container that displays a green coconut with its top cut off and a straw poking out - you can almost feel the tropical breeze! Even though drinking it out of the coconut tastes better, I'm happy to have coconut water within reach at home.


The first thing to clear up is the common confusion with coconut water and coconut milk. These are NOT the same. So what's the difference between coconut milk and coconut water?

• Coconut milk comes from those hard, brown, hairy coconuts. It is made by pressing the meat (flesh) of the coconut to expel the milk. It's a great alternative to dairy milk, almond milk or soy milk.
• Coconut water comes from young, green coconuts. It's the liquid sloshing around in the hollow center of the coconut. It's a slightly sweet, translucent liquid that doesn't have a "coconut" flavor.

Pomegranate Coconut Water

Pomegranate seeds/arils are beautiful and delicious - but how exactly do you get all those seeds out?! A pomegranate is about the size of an apple and contains multiple compartments, each tightly packed with seeds. Sources disagree as to the exact number of seeds within each pomegranate; some sources believe there are exactly 613 seeds (the same number of commandments in the Torah), while other allow for a margin for +/- 200 seeds.

When selecting a pomegranate at the store, choose one that seems heavy for its size. Color and darkened spots on the outside of the pomegranate do not indicate quality - the skin of a pomegranate is very thick and protects the seeds from damage. If you don't plan to use your pomegranate within a few days of buying it - put it in the refrigerator. While you can buy containers of pomegranate seeds, it's much less expensive (and not very difficult) to extract the seeds yourself!

A warning in advance: pomegranate juice will stain your clothes - wear an apron!


Directions:

1. Wash your pomegranate, then cut off about a 1/2-inch of the top of the pomegranate
2. Score (make shallow cuts) to the outside skin of the pomegranate from the top to the base. Make 5-6 evenly spaced cuts
3. Fill a large bowl with water. Hold the pomegranate under water and pull apart the fruit. The pomegranate should divide where you scored the skin. Gently push all the seeds out of the skin using your fingers
4. The pomegranate seeds will sink to the bottom of your bowl of water, while any pith/membrane and skin will float to the surface of the water. Remove large portions of skin, then skim off the pith with a spoon or your fingers
5. Strain the water from the seeds and rinse the seeds briefly under cold water