5 Ways to Use a Pineapple

I recently purchased some pineapples that were on sale for $1 each at Kroger. What a steal! I spent a whole week learning how to make use of them.

A) Cut off the pineapple top. Set aside the top.

B) Core the pineapple using a pineapple corer. Try to save the juice that oozes out. Set aside the slices.

C) Cut the pineapple around the core, saving the sides and bottom. Set aside the core.

D) Use a chef's knife to trim away extra fruit that the corer missed. Set aside these extra pieces.

Now for the good part!

Ways to use a pineapple:

1. Freeze it: Put the slices and extra pieces in a ziplock and throw it in the freezer. Boom.

2. Can it: using a water bath, can the slices and extra pieces if desired. Detailed instructions here.

3. Dry it: Use a dehydrator to dry chunks for trail mix or granola. I put mine in the freezer to 'sterilize' it, then added some dried bananas to create a tropical blend.

Pineapple Cooler Kozy

4. Juice it: Take the core, juice, and leftover pieces and throw them into your Vitamix blender. (If you don't have a Vitamix, get one!) I'm not sure if a normal blender would be powerful enough to process the pineapple core.

5. Grow it: Take the pineapple top, dry it out for a few days and plant it in some nice fresh dirt. It may grow, it may not- and it might take a few weeks to really take off. I've grown pineapple tops into very handsome houseplants, though never kept one long enough to grow more fruit.

And with anything you can't use- compost it! A pineapple is like a pig- use everything but the squeal.

*Except pineapples don't squeal.