Caution: Pomegranates; Ladies Day at Shelton Clothiers; Third Thursday at Main and Peabody Place

'Tis the season for pomegranates. There they sit in the bin at the grocery store looking so pretty and on special - 2 for $5. Until recently I have skipped purchasing them convinced that they were too difficult to eat what with all those pulpy little seeds. It's not like I wanted to use them in some intricate recipe, I just wanted to eat one since they are so good for you. Finally, I was recently instructed on a clever way to deal with these. Be sure you have one that has no little holes in the skin and gently squeeze it all over. When you do this you can hear the pulp around the seeds popping open. But you must do this for a while so I suggest doing it while you watch tv. Eventually, you bite a small hole in the skin and squeeze the juice into your mouth. Voilà! With just a bit of mindless work you have delicious, fresh pomegranate juice. Now, just to let you know this is a delicate process and it's imperative to be patient. I know because the first time I tried this it was a disaster. I was sitting on my couch in a white sweater (you already know where this is going) and well, ended up with an exploding pomegranate. Red juice was everywhere. I'm not sure how it could have made the trajectory it did but suffice it to say that even the wall became a victim. I went to this website :http://www.pomegranates.org/nomess.html and it's full of tips on how to cut and eat pomegranates and use them in recipes. You will see the phrase "Caution: Pomegranate juice stains." a lot on that website. That's true I'm sure but I got all of the stains out of my sweater, couch, and pillows (yes, really, it was a hot mess) with Oxy Clean. No lie.



Ladies get a break at Shelton Clothiers, 147 S Main - www.sheltonclothiers.com
Thursday, Dec. 17 and Friday, Dec 18. they are offering 30% off everything in the store for women shopping for all the men in their lives. Free gift wrap. Free parking - just bring your parking ticket from any garage downtown and they'll pay it. Plus they will serve wine and hors d'oeuvres from 4-8pm.

From 5:30 to 7:30 tonight it's "Third Thursday" at Main and Peabody Place - Shops and restaurants on this block (which is more or less Main St. between Union and Peabody Place, I think) will offer holiday specials, hot chocolate, carolers, and more.