Post #538677 by AlohaStation on Thu, Jun 24, 2010 8:46 AM

Several years ago we threw a party and served our regular tropical style drinks and appetizers. Most of the drinks and food included the usual fair including pineapple. I took a couple of the pineapples and chopped the top off. I had always heard of the urban legend: that if you chop the top off a pineapple it will continue to grow. So I gave it a try.

I soaked the pineapple tops in water for a week till they became soft and fiberous. I prepared a spot in my back yard with some top soil and planted the tops. My yard has several varieties of bromiliads (pineapples are a species of bromiliad) so i was used to taking care of these plants. To my surprise the pineapples began to grow. Two of the plants were crushed by falling coconuts, but one survived and flourished. Its now several years later and I have a full size pineapple that has bloomed.

My question is how do you know when a pineapple is ripe? Currently the fruit is a dark green color - will it change?