We’ve been having a little debate here at our house about the way in which pineapples grow. One person believed they grew on trees and the other was adamant that they grow UNDER the ground, like a potato. Evidently, the argument got fairly heated while I was away in Texas last week and went unresolved, though I’m not sure why, since we have this cool thing called the internet nowadays, and a picture of growing pineapples is just one Google search away.
The funny thing is that while I was in Texas, I spent time in Dallas at a very swanky mall called NorthPark Center, and was truly fascinated by the large planters with
interesting and various vegetation growing in them all throughout. (The other funny thing is that my uncle, whose memorial service I was there for, spent most of his career in mall landscape design!) One of those planters caused a double take, because it was perfectly covered with rows of growing pineapples ~
above the ground and not on a tree, which I happily reported once I got home and heard about the great pineapple debate. (And then Googled to prove it for those who remained skeptical.) They actually grow on a plant close to the ground as pictured above, and so for some reason the person who said they grown UNDER the ground is claiming victory in the debate. (That person happens to be under the age of 14, so they are, of course, the correct and clear winner in every debate.)
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| The radicchio was not as well-received as the pineapple! |
Anyway, we’ve been eating lots of pineapple this summer, and it helps that they’ve been on sale at my local grocery store for $2.50 a piece with a “silver coin” ~ the little reward and prize program the store offers. So, please don’t tell me if you’ve been buying them at H.E.B for $1.50. Let me bask in the glory of acquiring pineapples for less than $3.99 while I can. The same goes for avocados which I can get for under $2 a piece… occasionally.
And we love eating them fresh cut, but we’ve tried a few other things with them in the past couple of weeks, too. Slicing them and grilling them for a few minutes is a fun and delicious way to enjoy them, especially alongside grilled chicken or fish.
We also tried bacon-wrapped pineapple for Kory’s 19th birthday cookout with friends. This is another easy way to serve pineapple. I used one package of bacon and cut all the strips in half at one time. One regular package of bacon was the near-perfect amount to be wrapped around one whole, chopped pineapple. Aim for medium sized chunks and simply wrap a half slice of bacon around, placing the bacon edges on the underneath side as you arrange them on a baking sheet. One thing I would suggest, though, if you have it, is to use a large metal cooling rack over a baking sheet. Place the pineapple chunks wrapped in bacon on the cooling rack and this will allow the bacon grease to collect on the baking sheet and not be soaked up by the pineapple pieces.
Bake them at 400 degrees until bacon is brown and somewhat crispy ~ about 20-30 minutes. Add toothpicks to the individual pieces for easy serving.
So, pineapples grilled and wrapped and now for the diced version. Trader Joe’s sells a jar of pineapple salsa that is pretty good, but my brother, Stu’s, version is just as good, if not better. He made it to go with fish tacos one night while Kayla and I visited last fall, and it was really delicious. He texted me his list of ingredients today, which I’ll share with you, and then also give you a few other options for additions.
Pineapple Salsa
2 cups pineapple, diced
1/2 cup cilantro
1 small jalepeno pepper, diced
1/4 cup green onion
That’s it! (and the measurements are mine, but it’s a forgiving recipe!)
You could also add a bit of these things or make substitutions with them if you like:
diced red pepper
diced garlic clove
diced red onion instead of green
diced mango
diced radish
lime juice
salt
Pineapples are really good for you, too. Lots of Vitamin C and an enzyme called bromelain, which aids in digestion and is a natural anti-inflammatory.
Happy 4th of July!
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