With the warmer weather comes our craving for refreshing, tropical fruits like pineapple. Not only is it so tasty, but it’s also a great source of fibre, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. It’s no wonder pineapple is a common sight in households and used in desserts, beverages and more!
But before you can get to the juicy pineapple flesh, there are a few things you need to remember. First, you need to pick a ripe pineapple – it should be mostly yellow on its exterior and have firm outer skin with a bit of give. It should also feel heavy because of the sugary juices inside, with a noticeable sweet scent. If you want to purchase a pineapple that’s not fully ripe yet, you can choose one with a green exterior with a hard outer skin.
How to Keep Pineapples Fresh for Longer
An uncut, ripe pineapple will last around 3 days on the countertop and an extra 3 days when kept in the fridge. Unripe pineapple will continue to ripen on your counter, but placing it in The Swag can help prolong the ripening process.
Like other fruits and vegetables, pineapple releases ethylene gas, also called the “ripening hormone.” When placed near produce that is sensitive to ethylene, it can cause a chain reaction and quickly ripen nearby fruits and vegetables. Thankfully, The Swag can keep it under control!
It’s all thanks to our handmade and breathable food storage bags made of 100% natural, unbleached and unseeded cotton materials. With its unique multilayer design, fruits, including pineapple, can breathe and hydrate inside the bag. You only need to keep the bag moist for the perfect environment for your produce.
Fruit is best consumed at room temperature. So when you’re ready to eat the pineapple, move it from The Swag into your fruit bowl to ripen, sweeten and develop more flavour before consumption. If the fruit becomes ripe and is not consumed in time, simply move it back into your Swag to give you more time to consume it while it’s juicy, nutritious and ripe.
How to Store Pineapple Chunks
If you want to store cut pineapple for snacking later on, there are a number of methods to do so. Here are some ways to keep the fruit fresh for as long as possible:
1. Refrigerate in an airtight container.
Pineapples must be refrigerated immediately after peeling and cutting into chunks or rings. Place it in an airtight container and store it for up to a week. The fruit will taste best if eaten within 4 days but lasts up to a week. If the pieces turn brown and taste sour, it’s a sign that it’s gone bad.
2. Freeze it.
Frozen pineapple preserves the fruit until you’re ready to enjoy it. You can do so by lining a baking sheet with parchment paper and placing the pineapple chunks on it. Place the entire sheet into the freezer and leave for at least 2 hours. The fruit should be frozen solid after. Transfer the pieces into airtight freezer bags or containers and put them back into the freezer. The pineapple will remain good to eat up to a year.
3. Dehydrate it.
If you have a dehydrator, you can make dried pineapple slices, extending the fruit’s shelf life for around 2 to 4 weeks. Make sure to keep it at room temperature. You can also freeze dried pineapple for up to a year.
How to Grow Pineapple On Your Countertop
Pineapple can cause your other fruits to turn quickly during the hot summer months when placed in a large fruit bowl. You can either move the pineapple to a smaller fruit bowl and wait for it to ripen or use the stalk of the pineapple to create a centrepiece for your fruit bowl.
To do this, simply cut the head of the pineapple and leave some of the flesh. Pop into a small bowl, glass or vessel filled with water and place in the middle of your fruit bowl. Keep the water clean and change it every few days to make the pineapple decoration last for months!
If the fruit is happy enough, it can even grow little pineapples. Here are some steps to grow pineapple on your countertop.
- If you plan to regrow store bought pineapple, make sure to twist the top of the pineapple before cutting into it for consumption. This method takes just the right amount of pineapple flesh needed for regrowth.
- Pull off the bottom leaves around the base so it can make room for roots to grow.
- Once the base is cleared, make a straight cut at the base to slice off any fruit that is still attached.
- Poke 3 toothpicks on top just above where it will sit in the water.
- Fill a jar with water until it covers the bottom of the pineapple head.
- Place the pineapple top down into the water, making sure the bottom is covered.
- Place it near a sunny windowsill and change the water every few days.
- Sit back and wait for it to grow its roots. Once the roots are established, you can transplant it outside in toil and let it keep growing!
For more tips and hacks, check out The Swag blog here. Sign up for our newsletter to keep updated on sustainable, natural solutions for the home and environment!
