Drinks served in pineapples

Kiliki and I bought this sort of pineapple cork screw device that both cores the pineapple, slices it and allows you to remove the meat and leave a shell you can serve a drink in. Does anybody have advice for this thing? Pineapples are fairly expensive right now and I want to do this right the first time. We saw drinks served in pineapples in Mexico and always wanted to do it and never knew how until now.

I've used the pineapple corkscrew cutter for a few years now. Pretty simple to use... only extra advice is to be sure to press down firmly as you twist it into the pineapple, and make sure don't go too deep, as I've twisted right thru the bottom of a pineapple before! But works really well!

:tiki:

As traderpup said the only trick with these things is to not go too deep. A particular risk on ripe pineapples. I've froze the cored pineapple shells before, they look great and can really chill a drink. It's a good option if you happen on a deal on pineapples. But frozen shells are a lot like my second wife: Too cold to hold. Serve a frizzed pineapple shell on a table or in some sort of bowl thing. Target now carries the pineapple core gadgets (in their general kitche doo-dads section) and you can always get better prices on pineapples at Asian or Mexican grovcers.

In Mexico, we found that the pineapples had little smell. We went to the market and got produce. Papaya as big as your head. And we sniffed the butts of all the pineapple looking for a good one. No smell. But we picked one and went back to the hotel to find that is was awesome!

My aunt managed to procure BABY pineapples for my wedding party. About the size of an avocado. Tres chic! Probaboy went out the door in someones pants.

Did I just say PaNTS????

Just a question has anyone tried growing pineapples? I'm no Mrs's Greenthumb but talk about easy and well worth the wait to sit back and enjoy a drink in one you've grown. I've got about 12 plants going right now...

Where do you live? What kind of climate do you need? (Duh, I know tropical) But could they grow, say, in my foggy SF yard?

-martin

You should have no problem growing them there. I live in Florida but taught some friends in Portland, Oregon to grow some at their place. Just cut of the top with about an inch of fruit on it. Dry out for a day and plant in fresh soil. It can either be indoor or outdoors but I warn you they get big after about 6-8 months and spiky. It does take about a year & 1/2 to grow but SO worth it. And can use the same plant several times after that. Hope all this makes sense. I look up some websites with some more detail for growing pineapples for you and get back to you on that. But I do think they are the hardest and easiest plant to grow...

I'm not so good at adding links, but look up on the computer "growing pineapples". Some tell you to take off the fruit and just plant the pug. I was told it doesn't really matter and I have always just cut off the top and planted it the next day. And have never had a plant rot on me or anything here in the humid hot florida weather. Some people get so anal about planting and I say cut it, dry it and plant it. ENJOY

They grow good here in H.B. Like Divy said, just stick em' in the ground and don't get all anal!!

It's real cool growing them cause you kinda forget and all of a sudden you see the flower/fruit pop up(about 3 years in our zone). All the thorns or points on the fruit itself bloom little purple flowers. We let them "vine ripin" and fall off the stem then eat them right away. Then you cut the top off of that one and replant it. Also heard that you can use 2 inches of the stem (the part under the fruit) and it will root too! Doing a test with 2 in a 8" pot with cactus soil. Seems that these took off real fast. Happy planting!

amazingly enough, pineapples will grow (and ripen) in seattle! here's mine, grown inside.

its the size of a large lemon ~ and smells wonderful!

i guess it'll be a long time till another takes its place..i'm going to follow Ben's suggestions and try to grow the little top!

elicia

I've rooted quite a few pineapples... Uh, I mean I've gotten the crowns to take root. :wink:
Anyway, I just twist the green crown off the pineapple before I cut it up and pull off some of the leaves around the bottom to expose more of the stalk. Then just stck some toothpicks in and set it in a glass of water like you do with avacado seeds. Put it in a bright spot ant it will start to send out rooots within a couple of weeks.
Aloha,
:tiki:

[ Edited by: Tiki Royale on 2004-11-11 14:39 ]

Hey pineapple people!

I got a strange thing happening. Any help would be cool. I have a small crown growing by itself 2 feet away from my other pineapple plantation(basically growing out of my white ginger roots). I did not plant it. It was burried in weeds. I thought they just grew from tops and stems????? Do they self root too?? I'm trippin!

On 2004-12-21 22:04, RevBambooBen wrote:
Hey pineapple people!

I got a strange thing happening. Any help would be cool. I have a small crown growing by itself 2 feet away from my other pineapple plantation(basically growing out of my white ginger roots). I did not plant it. It was burried in weeds. I thought they just grew from tops and stems????? Do they self root too?? I'm trippin!

I just pulled this off a gardening website. This was one part of a long list of pineapple facts:

Propagation: Cuttings -- Crown (produces small fruit, but the best to start your pineapple plantation with), Slips (growths from above or below the fruit on an established plant), Suckers (or ratoons that come from the stem below the plant underground)

it would seem your ratoons are getting a bit frisky with your ginger.

Ya. That's for sure!

Just found out that when the pineapple flowers it's the ultimate score for humming birds. The flowers have little seeds. A humming bird must have been involved. 3some??

One year our Target store (Ohio) was selling pineapple plants in the houseplants section! Very interesting but haven't seen this since.

Someone gave me an African pineapple that is a smaller varietty (apple-sized). This might make and interesting shot-sized drink!

-FB

On 2004-12-21 22:04, RevBambooBen wrote:
Hey pineapple people!

I got a strange thing happening. Any help would be cool. I have a small crown growing by itself 2 feet away from my other pineapple plantation(basically growing out of my white ginger roots). I did not plant it. It was burried in weeds. I thought they just grew from tops and stems????? Do they self root too?? I'm trippin!

First to answer ya Ben: The little I know about these plants I learned in Miami (well actually Florida City) when I helped my Ma do a 'plant run' up there for her landscaping biz. She took me around to a few very cool nurserys (including one called Going Bananas that had scores of strange varieties of bananas) and one we toured was a nursery that specialize in the plants known as bromeliads. Pineapples are a bromeliad which means like most bromeliads they are generally non-terrestrial, in other words they take root in trees. If you have been to tropical South America (where they originate, see the movie Hawaii :wink: ) you'll see bromeliads eveywhere in the trees. So they are quite aggresive to take root and generally they take years to flower which they do only once and then die. And that is all I know about that...... :D

On another note, I had a debate with a bar owner frind of mine whilst in the Philippines as to the origins and correct way to make a Pina Colada. I did some net homework on the subject and serving them in hollowed pineappples is certainly the classic thing to do. As I found from this article which is worth a gander http://www.cruisemates.com/articles/humop/pinacoloda.cfm

Lastly, WHERE CAN I GET ONE OF THESE PINEAPPLE CORING DEVICES?! :wink:

[ Edited by: Rattiki on 2005-01-12 04:05 ]

OK I answered my own question. This looks like a good source http://www.thegadgetsource.com/084256488225.html

I've seen the Pineapple Corers in several places...try any kitchen specialty store. They're easy and work great. Make sure to get the one with three sizes of corers, to better match the size of the pineapple.

My favorite part is letting the juices seep out into the shell after removing the rings. Mmmmmmm, fresh pineapple juice!

I live in the middle of the Midwest. Has anyone grown potted pineapples that they put outdoors as well as indoors?

If so, any tips?

Hey, I thought this thread was about drinks served in pineapples! :wink: (Ok, so I'm trying to grow the top from this one as we speak)

Here's mine, and I just bought PAD so I should be able to do a MUCH better job with the garnish next time.

Once the drink is in me, hasn't it already been served?

Got a ripe one that is going to be taste tested by Smogbreather tomorrow eve. Nothing like the taste of a homegrown pineapple with a little Shag with a Twist for a chaser.