How to Ripen A Pineapple
Stand the pineapple upside down on leaves. You do not want the base to make direct contact with your countertop. Standing the pineapple upside-down will help the sugars flow from the bottom to the top, ripening the pineapple.
- If it doesn’t want to stand upside down, lean it against something to keep it resting upside down. Putting it on its side won’t help it ripen.
- Don’t place the pineapple in a paper bag. This technique works well for ripening pears, bananas and apples, but it doesn’t work for pineapples.
When the green color has changed to yellow or tan, and it’s giving off a delicious, tropical aroma, the pineapple is ready to eat. You can also tell when a pineapple is ripe by plucking one of the top leaves off. If it easily comes off then it is ready to eat.
RECIPES
Pineapple Salsa
Ingredients
2 cups diced fresh pineapple
2 medium tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and chopped (wear gloves to avoid burning of the skin)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
Tortila Chips
Directions
- In a large bowl, combine the first 10 ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving. Serve with tortilla chips. Yield: 3-1/2 cups.
Pineapple Smoothie
Ingredients:
3/4 cup pineapple juice
5 ice-cube
3/4 cup diced fresh pineapple
4 ounces low-fat vanilla yogurt
(Optional: Add a banana or 1/2 cup mango)
Directions:
Add ingredients in order listed above into a blender. Puree until there are no more fruit chunks or ice chunks.
Recipe by Terri Henkels
Allison Peet
Ike (Nancy) Eichmann
ecole2015
Emily Bisbee, CHES
Terri Henkels
Susan Hyland
mroth505
Nathan Anenson
nolaaigner
Walt Mozdzer
Healthy Altoona Partnership 