On an unseasonably overcast day, a pineapple brought the sun’s rays.
 
As I glanced in the direction of the large knobby fruit I had just purchased, a trade wind emitted from its spiky-leaved cap, gently brushing my cheek.
 
Grains of warm white sand were pleasantly rough against my hand as I reached for it.
 
And when I cut into it, oh my! Azure waves came rushing forward, overtaking me in their salty froth.
 
Suddenly I wasn’t in northern California, but in the tropics where golden pineapples bask in the glow of the sultry summer sun.
 
The fruit’s association with the tropics is no doubt one reason why it’s a symbol of hospitality.
 
Another is its popular status in American Colonial days when elaborate fruit displays welcomed visitors. Having a rare pineapple as the centerpiece was a grand coup.
 
Highly expensive because of the difficulty in transporting them fresh over sea, pineapples were sometimes rented from confectioners for the day to impress guests.
 
So blessed are we with the easy presence of this succulent sweet-tart fruit, its novelty is hard to imagine as we enjoy their every day availability in supermarket produce departments.
 
While we typically associate pineapples with our 50th state, the truth is that the fruit isn’t native to the Hawaiian Islands.
 
Neither are they indigenous to volcanic Caribbean isle Guadeloupe, where the first Europeans encountered them during Christopher Columbus’s landing there in 1493.
 
Historians believe pineapples originated in South American lowlands in areas now occupied by Brazil and Paraguay, making their way to the Caribbean through centuries of Indian maritime exploration and trade.
 
The Tupi Indians who lived where pineapples evolved called it “nana” or “anana,” meaning excellent fruit. Highly prized for its sweetness, this “excellent fruit” was a staple at Indian feasts and was used to make wine.
 
The English word pineapple comes from its resemblance to a pine cone in shape and texture and the general use of the term apple for any fruit.
 
And what of its relationship to Hawaii?
 
Pineapples were brought to those islands by Captain Cook in 1777, where native Hawaiians called them “halakahiki,” which means foreign fruit.
 
There was some cultivation of pineapples in Hawaii in ensuing years, but large scale production of the crop by U.S. companies didn’t begin until the early 1900s.
 
Pineapple is delicious in sweet applications, of course (cakes, toppings, muffins, fruit salad and the like), but its flavor also marries well with chicken, pork and fish.
 
Think of a baked ham with pineapple glaze, Asian chicken or pork stir-fries with chunks of the fruit, or fish or pork chops with pineapple salsa.
 
My grandmother loved to run thick slices of ham topped with rings of pineapple under the broiler, sometimes adding cheddar cheese to her old-fashioned fare.
 
Wedges of pineapple may be tossed on the grill, sweetness intensifying in the process.
 
These delicious, grill-marked discs are wonderful on their own, but also go well with chicken or burgers. They’re especially good when combined with grilled red pepper.
 
I like to dice the leftovers for use in salads the following day. My favorite is a tropical rice and bean salad, but you can also get creative with chicken, tuna or pasta.
 
While Costa Rica is the biggest exporter of pineapple, the bulk of pineapples are grown in Southeast Asia, where the fruit is popular in the cuisines of those lands.
 
Botanically speaking, the pineapple is an edible, domesticated bromeliad, meaning a tropical fruit with fleshy leaves that form water-catching receptacles.
 
When creating its fruit, the plant produces up to 200 flowers. Once this occurs, the individual fruits of the flowers join together, creating a pineapple.
 
Thus, a mature pineapple is composed of many berry-like fruitlets that fuse together around a central fibrous core.
 
Conventional growers of pineapples control flowering and fruit set with hormones so that harvest is staggered throughout the year, but organic growers (of which there are a growing number, thankfully) harvest their untreated plants in spring and summer.
 
Speaking of organic pineapple, buy it if you can find it, both for your own health and the health of others.
 
Farm workers in Costa Rica, for example, are at risk because of the chemicals used in conventionally farmed pineapple, as is their water supply.
 
In addition, because so many are used, the chemicals render the soil ecologically barren.
 
Pineapples contain a protein-digesting enzyme called bromelain, the reason pineapple juice may be employed as a marinade for meat.
 
It’s this enzyme that disrupts the setting of gelatin desserts; however, since cooking deactivates it, using canned pineapple doesn’t have the same effect.
 
The enzyme is so strong that pineapple workers have to wear gloves to prevent it from digesting the skin of their hands during constant contact.
 
One of my favorite ways to serve pineapple is to cut it in quarters lengthwise (including the leafy top so a portion is attached to each quarter) and serve wedges of the fruit in these pineapple boats.
 
To create the wedges, run a sharp knife under the flesh in each quarter close to the skin, and then cut the long triangle of fruit into slices. Add a toothpick to each slice and arrange the quarters (with their leaves attached) on a tray for presentation.
 
This healthy fruit provides a whooping 131 percent of our daily allowance of vitamin C in just one cup of it.
 
In addition, pineapple has plenty of manganese (good for bone strength), and provides fiber, vitamins B6 and B1, copper and folate.
 
The beta carotene in pineapple is great for eye health.
 
A sweet, sumptuous smell will alert us to a pineapple’s ripeness, as will a bright yellow color in the spaces between the scales on its skin.
 
Today’s recipes are refreshing pineapple popsicles (perfect for summer!) and a vibrant pineapple salsa that’s equally good with corn chips, fish, pork, and chicken. (Try it with fish tacos.)
 
If you’d like to know how to grow pineapples at home or receive a lesson in a great way to cut fresh pineapple slices, check out the links below.
 
Oh, and be sure to get your beach umbrella out before you bring that pineapple home.
 
Pineapple popsicles

3 cups chopped fresh pineapple, about 14 ounces
2/3 cup water
½ cup sugar (or sweeten as desired)
4 ½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Fine sea salt to taste (start with a small pinch)
 
Equipment needed:
4 to 8 popsicle molds (or plastic or paper cups)
Wooden sticks
 
In a blender, puree all ingredients. Adjust seasoning, if necessary, and pour into desired molds.
 
Freeze until slushy, about an hour, then insert sticks and freeze until firm, about 7 hours.
 
Popsicles may be made up to two days in advance. Flavor diminishes if made any earlier.
 
Recipe courtesy of www.lacucinaitalianamagazine.com .
 
Pineapple salsa

2 cups chopped pineapple (fresh preferred)
½ medium sweet onion, chopped
½ red bell pepper, chopped
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and chopped finely
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Fresh squeezed juice from one lime
Salt to taste
 
Mix all ingredients except salt in a medium bowl until evenly distributed. Season to taste with a pinch of salt.
 
Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least an hour until serving so flavors can blend.
 
Recipe courtesy of www.savorysweetlife.com .
 
How to cut a pineapple: http://www.howtocutapineapple.com/ .
 
How to grow a pineapple: http://www.rickswoodshopcreations.com/pineapple/pineapple.htm .

Esther Oertel, a freelance writer, cooking teacher, and speaker, is passionate about local produce and all foods in the vegetable kingdom. She welcomes your questions and comments and may be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .