What better way to shake out the Election Day jitters than by spending time in the kitchen, doing something fun and unusual!

Homemade Pomegranate Juice

Last night, I made pomegranate juice with my kids. We got excited because we had never made it before, and, with 3 varieties of pomegranates (white, Foothill and Wonderful) in our fridge, we had been angling to test out the different tastes and textures.

After about an hour of separating the arils (the pulp and juice surrounding the tiny seeds) from the mesocarp (the spongy white part that holds the arils), we juiced them.

We have a Norwalk cold press machine. It’s known for its ability to preserve nutritional value through the cold press process. The kids also love watching the powerful press go up and then juice pouring out a few seconds later.

Here are the results.

Pomegranate Varieties Compared: White, Foothill And Wonderful

What I loved is that the white pomegranates are milder and less astringent-tasting than the more common red varieties, although their seeds are also much thicker and "woody" than other varieties. (Hence, our desire to juice them.)

As for the red varieties: The Foothill juice is very acidic, a bit astringent and super tangy. The Wonderful juice is sweeter and less acidic. But the white pom juice won – hands down – for its pleasant taste, smooth texture and light feel.

I found this spontaneous activity to be quite meditative.

Spending Quality Time In The Kitchen

In times like these, the fact that you are in the kitchen, experimenting, playing around or just following a cool-looking recipe, means that you are not spending that time glued to politics on your TV or your social feeds.

Make something different today.

Take out a seldom-used kitchen appliance.

Prepare a fruit or vegetable in a new way.

Involve your kids and make it fun.

Who else has a culinary story to share? Are you also de-stressing in the kitchen this week? I'd love to read your stories!