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Monday, February 3, 2014

I sometimes go to extremes, with not wanting to waste anything

Using the core of a fresh pineapple

We were given a whole, fresh pineapple as a thank you, for some work my daughters and I helped with a week ago. Fresh pineapple is pretty rare for us, so we made the absolute most of the one we received.


The core of the pineapple is less flavorful, and more fibrous than the outer flesh of the fruit. Often the core is just disposed of.

I added the core pieces to a pitcher of filtered water and left in the fridge for a couple of days. This pleasantly flavored our drinking water for a couple of days.


Before I discarded the core pieces, I thought that maybe there's still some flavor left in them. So, I ran them through the juicer. I've got to be honest here. The resulting juice was significantly less flavorful than commercial pineapple juice. But not wanting to waste any nutrients, I mixed it in with the rest of some orange juice. Pleasant enough. Then, and only then, did I compost the remains of those pineapple cores.

I also cut the crown off and have it sitting in a saucer of water. I have a hunch that you need more of the pineapple corwn than I allowed. But if it does grow in to a house plant, that will be fun.

You know, I considered trying to use the skins of the pineapple. Some people juice the skins and all. But our pineapple was looking a little less than fresh, so I composted those skins. Still, the compost will make a free soil amendment in a few months, so I guess I didn't let any of it go to waste.


This is one of those weird little tips, and I'm not even sure if its true. But I was once told by the produce guy at the market, that to prevent fermentation of sugars at the base of a pineapple, and to ripen the fruit evenly,  stand  the whole pineapple, upside down, on the counter for 2 to 3 days. Does this work for us? Well, since I started doing this, none of our pineapples have had a fermented bottom half. But still, I don't know, for certain, if this really works.


12 comments:

  1. I have two of those Portmeirion pots too! One of them has ground coffee in, the other was dropped and broke into many pieces, I glued them together very carefully and now it holds cotton buds.

    Thanks for the frugal ideas.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jessica,
      I love that botanical pattern. And I love it's sister pattern, Holly and Ivy, that comes out around Christmas. Good for you, gluing all the pieces back together! And a good use, too, something dry like pieces of cotton.

      Delete
  2. We rarely get whole pineapples, but the next time I want to cut off the top and start a plant. Oh wait, I just did a quit search and while the leaves aren't toxic for cats, the sharp edges can be a problem for their digestive track. I guess we'll just continue with no house plants.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi live and learn,
      Oh, for shame, those kitties keeping you from having any houseplants! Fortunately, the cats provide plenty of entertainment, warmth and companionship. I guess they're earning their keep!

      Delete
  3. Fresh pineapples are fairly common here, as we have the right climate for them :) I've been meaning to try planting the top, but it will have to wait until I have more room in the garden.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Liz,
      And I bet your pineapples are super sweet and delicious, being practically local. Our pineapples have to be flown in from either Hawaii or the Caribbean, and picking a good one can be hit or miss!
      I met a man in Hawaii, a long time ago, that grew his own in his backyard. One of his plants had a tiny pineapple growing on it that day. It was interesting hearing all about his garden, as he grew nothing that could possibly live in my area.

      Delete
  4. Fresh pineapple is such a treat! Occasionally Aldi has them for a a good price and I'll get one. Yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kris,
      I'm waiting fro the day that Aldi expands to my part of the country! Friends of mine pick up pineapples at Costco for a decent price. We don't have a Costco membership, so I just keep an eye out for sales at the grocery store.

      Delete
  5. I love fresh pineapple but can only eat a few bites at a time. I'm strange in that I want to get every bite so I even eat the core. next time I'm going to try flavoring my water with it first as that sounds really good.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Lois,
      I found that I could only eat the fresh pineapple every other day, with this one. I was getting sores in my mouth after eating it. But oddly, canned pineapple cause no trouble whatsoever. I'd never thought to eat the core before. Interesting.

      Delete
  6. I love pineapple and I would try the flavoured wtaer, too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi anexacting,
      The flavored water was very refreshing. A just barely there pineapple essence to the water.

      Delete

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