Pineapple is such an amazing tropical fruit. It has a refreshing, tangy sweet taste that reminds you of that day, a sunny day on the beach. I know you would love to have some right now! I bet you got the whole fruit in your kitchen right now and you’re just not sure if it’s time to eat it.
You’re just not sure if it’s ripe already! Ha! I know how unsure you are! You even went over the internet to search for it! How to ripen pineapple? Well, since you are already here, let’s me show you how to ripen pineapple!
To make your time worthwhile, I’ll teach to how to tell the level of ripeness of pineapple and when it is best to open it. I’ll eve teach you some technique on how to prepare your favorite fruit!
How to Choose Pineapple
In some tropical countries where there is a year-round abundance of this tropical fruit, they are commonly sold iced and peeled on the street. Yep, in the west, they cost much and sometimes hard to come by. But in the tropics, chances are you can have them all the time!
So, when choosing a pineapple at the fruit section, you want to make sure that you are buying a good pineapple. Bad pineapple tastes a little bitter and smells like beer. Here are some things you want to see in your pineapple before you make a purchase!
- Green head of leaves.
You want to see that you have a leafy pineapple. Make sure they are attached, and they are intact. Fresh pineapples have greener leaves. The leaves gradually turn brown as the days go by.
- Check for the color.
You want your pineapple greenish to golden yellowish in color. A dark green pineapple can last longer if you plan to have some in the future. It’s normal for some pineapple to have uneven color. Golden yellow is a good color. When your pineapple is going brown, it’s an indication that it may be past it’s prime.
- Firm and tender feel.
Naturally, pineapples have thick and hard skin so it can be hard to tell their texture from the outside. But, you can use it to approximate how tender it is! Give it a soft squeeze. If should feel a bit like pressing on your knuckle. You should feel your finger pads sink instead of the pineapple.
- No sunken spots.
Check for the whole outside appearance of the fruit. There should be no seeping liquid and around the fruit. There should be no sunken sections of the fruit. Some sunken portions and seeping juice mean that the fruit might have been dropped. This will affect the taste of fruit if you don’t plan to open it immediately!
How to Tell if Your Pineapple is Ripe
The hard and bumpy skin of a pineapple makes it a little challenging to tell if a pineapple is already ripe and tasty. If you open a pineapple before its optimal ripeness, you will end up with an extremely sour or bland pineapple. So, you just want it on the right level of ripeness. Here are some things you should consider:
- Sniff your pineapple.
Give your pineapple a sniff. Sniff It on the head and the bottom. A ripe pineapple smells sweet and tangy. The stronger the smell, the riper the fruit. If it does not exude a fragrant smell, it’s ripe yet.
- Give your pineapple a little squeeze.
Naturally, the pineapple’s skin is hard. When it’s ripe, pressing it will give you a nice tender feedback. If your finger sinks deep, it’s way too ripe! If it doesn’t budge, check the next pineapple as it’s not ready yet.
- Feel the weight.
A ripe and juicy pineapple weighs heavier than it looks. This gives you a clue that your pineapple was not picked ahead of harvest time and had enough days on the farm attached to the root to nourish itself and grow further.
- Pluck the top leaves.
When you can pluck the top leaves effortlessly, this is a clue that the pineapple is past its prime. There should be a bit of resistance. Too much resistance may mean that your pineapple was picked ahead of its harvest date.
- Look for blotches and discoloration.
The color of ripe pineapple ranges from green to golden yellow, to brownish yellow. That is what makes it tricky. You cannot judge a pineapple by its color! You should combine all the clues together to come up with a decision.
Look out for unusual discoloration. It’s normal for the pineapple to appear green on the top and fade to golden yellow to yellow approaching the bottom.
- Your pineapple should not be wet.
Touch your pineapple and check if there are wet spots. The wet spot may suggest that the fruit is mishandled or is already starting to rot. As the pineapple ages, it softens and oozes its juice.
How to Ripen Pineapple
Some fruits continue to ripen after being picked. Unfortunately, for pineapples, they don’t ripen after they are separated from their roots. I know that’s a sad news for you! You are looking for a way to make sure you let your pineapple ripen a bit more if needed. But hey, next time, you can focus on choosing the right pineapple before you purchase!
The only way to ripen a pineapple is right on the pineapple field connected to its roots! So, let me just help you with other stuff that you can deal with!
How to Store Pineapple
If you have already bought a few heads pineapple with you, chances are you want to eat them and preserve the rest that you cannot consume right away. Here are some tips on storing your pineapple.
At Room Temperature
Golden yellow pineapple can only last about three days at room temperature. Beyond that, it will start to soften and taste funny. It will continue to rot if you don’t eat or discard them soon. Green pineapples are more resilient and can last for about a week. So if you don’t plan to store some pineapple for the week, choose some green pineapples for the latter days.
In The Fridge
Golden pineapples will last about a week or so when you store them in the fridge. Green pineapples can last about ten days! The only problem with storing pineapple in the fridge is it takes too much space! Slice the leaves off to conserve space in your fridge.
In The Freezer
If you plan to store pineapples in the freezer, make sure you peel and slice them first. This greatly lessens the bulk of the pineapple saving you space. Pack them on single servings so that you will never have to thaw the whole batch for just a few portions. Pineapple can safely last for half a year when the store in the freezer.
Pro Tip: Write the date you store your pineapple on the freezer bags so that you will know if they are still good for consumption.
How to Peel Pineapple
Peeling a Pineapple can be a little tricky. The easiest way, though, is such a waste. If you want the easy way, you can peel a thick layer past the eyes of the pineapple. If you don’t have much time to spare, this may be the best option for you.But if you want to learn the art of peeling pineapple, read on!
- Slice the top and the bottom of your pineapple.
- Peel your pineapple until the flesh of the pineapple is revealed. Do not peel too much skin! We will be pineapple flesh as much as we can!
- Leave the eyes as you peel the skin. You will end up with a dotted pineapple. That is okay. We will work it out.
- Now, tilt your pineapple and take an intent look at the dots. Look at them diagonally. You see, the eyes of the pineapple align diagonally!
- Imagine you are going to dig trenches on the eyes of the pineapple. Cut them the bottom layer diagonally and slice beneath the eyes.
- Next, slice the top of the eyes going underneath the eyes making a letter V incision.
- Now, do this to all the other eyes, and you will end up with a swirly outside texture, less pineapple wasted, and more pineapple was eaten!
Last Words
It’s unfortunate that pineapples don’t continue to ripen when they are picked. We are stuck with the selection from the grocery! Now, the only thing we can do about that is to hone our pineapple choosing skill!
I hope you had fun reading this article. I’m sorry I wasn’t able to help you ripen pineapples! But I sincerely hope that you get better at choosing your pineapple next time! Do you have questions? Leave it in the comment section below, and I will get back to you soon!
I enjoyed your information about pineapple, I need to know if I can grow pineapple fruit in Tunisia, and how to grow pineapple any where? I thank you so much. Mohamed