Cut it in half.

Project: Pomegranate Candle Votive
Time: 1/2 hour
Cost: $2 (or whatever it costs to buy pomegranates)

We bought some deep red pomegranates at the grocery store and, rather than throw out the beautiful rind, we decided to make them into candle votives. Remembering Maxwell's clementine candle project, we looked up the steps and modified them to make these holiday tealight holders.

Tools and Resources:
• Pomegranate(s)
• Cutting board
• Paring knife
• Spoon
• Bowl
• Tealight(s)
• Saucer(s)

Pomegranates are usually in season from October through January, so they're not hard to find right now. This project is messy (sort of like pumpkin carving on a smaller scale) so be ready to deal with lots of red pomegranate juice. As you scoop out the insides of the fruit, make sure to save them. To separate the seeds from the pulp, soak the stuff you scoop out in a bowl of water and pull out the white bits while saving the red. The seeds are delicious!

Step by step:

1. Cut the pomegranate in half down the middle.
2. Grab a spoon and scoop the insides out into a bowl.
3. Separate the pomegranate seeds from the pulp and eat them.
4. Wash off and dry the hollowed-out pomegranate rinds.
5. Using the paring knife, cut a star pattern (or whatever you prefer) into the rind.
6. Separate the cut-out portion from the rind.
7. Take a tea light and place it on a saucer.
8. Light the tea light.
9. Place the pomegranate rind on the saucer.

Photos: Sarah Coffey