Pineapple Myths: Debunked

Are you a pineapple cynic? I am. At the store, I’ll press, sniff, and tug at a few leaves, trying to find the least green of the bunch.

Turns out, those pineapples that I think are too green to be sweet are “more than horticulturally mature. They’re ready to eat,” says Jonathan Crane, a tropical fruit crop specialist at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences.

Okay, so you’re never going to have a more delicious pineapple than one cut straight off the stem in a sunny field in Costa Rica (where most of the pineapple we eat comes from, according to the USDA). But the next best thing, the ones at the supermarket, are pretty tasty and yes, ripe. I pressed Crane and Florida-based pineapple farmer Mark Dellerman for more tropical fruit real talk. Here’s what they said:

Pineapples grow year-round in tropical climates under synchronized conditions that yield a steady stream of ready-to-eat fruit, says Crane.

So, there’s no peak season for pineapple—and no bad time to eat it, whether you're using it to glaze your Easter ham, tucking it into a cake for the holidays, or adding it to a fruit salad.

Although it’s human nature to bypass the green ones in favor of the prettier golden ones, there’s simply no need to. When you buy a pineapple at the store, it’s as sweet as it going to get.

“Once it’s taken off the plant, it’s not gaining any sugars,” Crane says.

But a pineapple will change color from green to golden, and it’ll soften over time. That’s the fruit’s natural ethylene at work. Refrigeration slows down that process considerably, which is why commercial producers ship the fruit chilled and stores keep them cold until ready to display.

The pineapple’s top or crown should look vibrant, not wilted. “If the leaves are brown, loose, or falling out, that means it’s old,” says Dellerman, a third-generation citrus farmer who started growing pineapple in 2002.

Nor do you want fruit that feels spongy or has soft spots, which signals it's been damaged or is already on the decline.

But do smell the bottom of the pineapple. It’s the sweetest spot on the fruit and should smell fragrant, Dellerman says.

If you don’t plan on eating the pineapple right away, set it out on your kitchen counter. Over the next two or three days, it will start to turn golden, which again, psychologically, does wonders for us cynics. But if a pineapple turns brown, you’ve kept it too long. “The acids decline to the point where it just tastes...yuck,” Crane says.

When you’re ready to cut into it, Crane and Dellerman both suggest popping the pineapple in the refrigerator to chill for a bit. They say it just tastes better cold.

Cut pineapple should be kept refrigerated. The fruit chunks will oxidize and start to turn brown, though they'll still be perfectly edible. To stave off that browning, Crane suggests splashing orange juice over the cut fruit. The ascorbic acid in the juice is an antioxidant that will help the pineapple last a few days longer in your fridge.

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