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| Thanks Stephen & Rebel Youth by Karlheinz Weinberger |
Like most fruits -- pineapples are best at peak maturity and ripeness. However a fully-mature pineapple (the super-yellow one with uniform coloring on the far-left) is not fit to be shipped. It is too juicy and soft and would never make it to our produce shelves in solid-form. So the only way you can really enjoy a true, ripe pineapple is to either go to Hawaii or grow a pineapple from the original pineapple's top in your home (but it will take 2 to 3 years)!
But in the meantime, let's focus on how to improve our abilities to pick-out our second-best, lower-48 variety pineapple from the produce department. Our pineapples are picked and arrive to us mature and hopefully fresh (bright and greenish, center pineapple in photo above) but unripe -- unfortunately, once a pineapple is picked it will not mature any further. But you can still ripen it on your counter.
So, now you're looking for three things: mature, fresh, and then desired ripeness.
How to find the freshest, most mature, and ripening pineapple in the line-up:
- Mature: Pineapples ripen from the base-up to the crown and are considered mature when they start to develop a "color break" which could be yellow, golden or reddish -- contrasting with the unripe green.
- The higher the yellowing/golden color break rises-up the fruit, the higher the sugar content.
- Fresh: Smell the fruit at the base -- fresh pineapples should have a sweet aroma. If there is no smell -- it's unripe and will not ripen. If it smells bad and like it's fermented (vinegary) then it's overripe.
- The flesh should be firm but can give very slightly under pressure but it shouldn't be soft. Avoid any fruits with localized soft-spots or bruising.
- The crown's leaves may be dried-out and look a little rough -- but focus on the fruit which will probably look good even if the crown doesn't.
- Ripe: Depending on when you want to eat it -- as long as there is a color-break you can take the fruit home to ripen on the counter. One that is more green (like the center photo) will take longer, perhaps a week, compared to a fully-bronzed/golden pineapple (like the far-right photo) would probably be ready within the same day or two!
- NOT TRUE: if you can pull a leaf from the stalk then it's ripe.
Avoid the not-fresh/overripe:
- An overripe pineapple can be brown, bronze, red or even green -- don't depend on darkness alone!
- Smell is the main indicator -- an overripe pineapple will smell fermented like vinegar or alcohol.
- Soft flesh and wrinkled, loose skin indicates overripeness.
- Avoid any oozing or molting leaves from the crown!
Raw pineapple contains a living enzyme called Bromelain which aids in digestion by breaking-down proteins. Bromelain also has anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and anti-clotting properties. Regular consumption of raw pineapple has shown to reduce indigestion AND worm-infestation!
Pineapples are also high in Vitamin C (helps make collagen which is the body's main structural protein), Vitamin A, and the B-complexes.
Also somebody once told me that consuming pineapples makes your body odor smell good but who knows. I guess this could be true -- but more because of the high water content keeping you hydrated and diluting your sweat than of anything to do with the pineapple. Eh?
Have a nice day!
p.s.
What's the difference between ripe and mature in fruit (or rebel) terms?
Ripe fruits may not be mature (usually somewhat immature)-- they will be prime for eating -- sweet with nice texture.
Mature fruits may or may no-longer be ripe -- this means the fruit has reached it's full-potential and may or may not still taste good or have a good texture.
Generally the texture of mature fruits can be too tough or woody to enjoy or the flavor may not be desirable anymore.
Also there is a fine line walked between fully-mature and rotten so many fruits in the store are not mature when shipped or purchased to prolong shelf life and storability.
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