Persephone, the myth tells us, was tricked by Hades into eating pomegranate. For each glistening garnet of seed taken, she was forced to spend a month in the underworld as his consort, while her mother, the earth goddess Demeter, mourned and withheld her gifts of bounty. Thus the Greeks explained the origin of the seasons, the spring and summer of Persephone's joyful return to the earth earned by her fall and winter banishment to the nether world. In some versions of the myth, it took only one seed to forever seal the cycle. In other folklore, the apple of Eden was really a pomegranate. Pretty powerful stuff.

This ancient "apple with many seeds," as the name translates, was universally known, depicted in Egyptian and Phoenician sculpture and mentioned in the Bible, Sanskrit scripture, Homer's Odyssey and The Arabian Nights. During the Middle Ages, as many as 13 varieties were cultivated in Spain alone. Here and now, we can still indulge our fascination with this most beautiful of fruits, starting in September when it makes its first leathery appearance in markets. It will be there until December, peaking now, around Halloween, when the underworld meets the other worlds for a while.

Fine, you may say. Having bought one or two and admired their exotic display in a seasonal arrangement or a fruit bowl, you may wonder what can be done with them. Despite being widely known, they don't seem to be widely eaten, perhaps because of that deceptive leathery skin. Inside live clusters of crunchy seeds, each one bound in a cell of crimson pulp. If you're one of the many who need to make up for lost time enjoying them, I present Pomegranates for Dummies. (If that title offends, consider the following as Pomegranate 101.)

Ways to use pomegranate

1. Just eat it. The rich alkaline juice is a bladder and kidney tonic. Mohammed put it another way. "It purges the system of envy and hatred."
2. Mix individual morsels into yogurt or fruit salad.
3. Add a few morsels to salad dressing.
4. Roll morsels into small cream cheese balls for an hors d'oeuvre.
5. Make syrup by adding the juice to homemade sugar syrup or even bottled syrup. Commercial grenadine gets its distinctive flavor from pomegranate.
6. Use the juice for glazes and sauces as you would use orange juice.
7. Garnish with the morsels. They're especially agreeable paired with red onion.
8. Make a juice pack as Greek street vendors do. ( Maybe they're betting that by not actually eating the seeds, Persephone's damage won't get any worse.) Chill a pomegranate. Roll vigorously to "loose the juice." Pierce with an ice pick or corkscrew. Insert a straw and slurp.
9. Feed the seeds to the birds-they love them. Make sure you crush the morsels so the birds can get to them. This thought brings me to the human version of...

... Getting to the good parts

Select a fruit the size of a medium to large orange. Color may range from pink to bright red. (A white, thinner-skinned "Utah" variety is not readily available.) Cut off the blossom end, the nubby "fuse" which creates the fruit's distinctive shape.

For morsels of pulp, score the rind in quarters. Gently pull the fruit apart while trying not to squish the seeds, which can spatter and stain. Bend the rind back as if peeling an orange and pull off the seed clusters.

For juice, roll the fruit as you would a lemon, cut in half and use a reamer. Alternately, cut in half, pull out seed clusters, and blend or process in brief pulses to break the sacs without grinding the seeds and then strain in a fine sieve or coffee filter.

The seeds, if crushed, are too bitter for most tastes and are therefore best contained. For this reason, pomegranate jam or preserves is possible but risky. Proceed with caution.

With proper chilling, pomegranates can be stored for up to three months. Stock up for the holidays, participate in living myth or just decorate the mantel. If Hades shows up in your dining room, you can just tell him for me to...

...Eat well.