I Grew My Own Pineapple!!!

Wow, after only two long years I finally picked and ate my very own home-grown in the northern midwest pineapple! I must say, it was so much sweeter and "ripe" tasting than even the best chosen from the store. I saved the top that I twisted off, let it air dry for 4-5 days, and it's now starting to grow roots in a glass of water on the windowsill over the sink. My original post of how to fruit a pineapple is linked on the sidebar, or you can click here:

http://rawbabyrowan.blogspot.com/2009/06/fruiting-pineapples.html

Here's the fully ripe fruit just before I picked it. I had moved the pot outside for a part of the summer and it had tipped during a big storm. Me being me didn't notice for a few days while it started to grow a bit crooked. But then, don't we all grow a bit crooked? ;o}

Two years is definately a labor of love for an indoor pineapple plant, but it was fun and worth it IMHO. What to try next? Anyone have suggestions? Leave a comment, I'd love to hear!

~Sharilyn

Fruiting Pineapples

My pineapple top has rooted and now needs to be planted, which I’ll do today. You never knew you could grow a pineapple bush? Here’s how:

Twist the top off a fresh pineapple, don’t cut it. Let it dry out for 5 days or so.

Stick it in a glass of water, changing the H2O every 3-4 days. I put my cup in an east windowsill. It took a couple of weeks to start the roots, then I just left it in the cup for about another month I think. If your top doesn’t root, it may be too old—try another.

After it roots, pot it up. Eventually, a red bud is supposed to form containing over a hundred tiny flowers that open into velvety blue blooms, each lasting a day. Each spent flower bract then develops into one segment of the fruit.

But before the pineapple top will flower, I’ll have to put a bag over the pot with an apple, tied tight so no air escapes, for about 5 days, thus allowing the ethylene gas from the apple to force the pineapple to flower.

After the bag is removed, new leaves will form from the center of the plant and rows of pineapple fruit will begin growing at the bottom of the new leaves. It will be golden yellow and about 6 inches above the old plant on a stalk about ¼ inch thick. (Staking required.) And if the plant doesn’t flower, I’ll repeat the apple procedure.

I’ll keep you all posted how this project develops, but hopefully we’ll be eating fresh, ripened on the plant pineapple in about . . . 11 months or so, as (I believe) it takes about 9 months for a pineapple fruit to ripen. Can’t wait!!

Today Rowan ate:

banana

chocolate hemp milk

carrot salad: carrots, onions, celery, thyme, garlic, parsley, ACV, EVOO, maple syrup, braggs aminos, sea salt, cayenne, . . . . . ? (Going by memory here)

Mango coconut chutney: mango, apple, coconut, honey, cayenne, tumeric, salt, cinnamon, pepper, ????

raw cookies: hazelnut, coconut, hempseed, sesameseed, apple, raisin, goji, salt, cinnamon, honey

green smoothies—orange, apple, banana, spinach

fresh peas

blueberries

strawberries

~Rowan and Sharilyn

UPDATE: 7/13/2011 I have a small pineapple growing!!! yeah!