My one and only....

pineapple is ready.  Actually, it is almost too ripe but oh my goodness, it is good!  I usually manage to harvest 5 or 6 each year but I must have not held my mouth right cause this year we only have one.

Yes...we have no banana's this year either.   They sure grew tall enough as you can see the roof line behind the trees but no nanners.  

 Brought my one and only inside and admired it a few minutes

then I twisted it's head off so I could start yet another pineapple plant

you do this by grasping the leaves close to where they join the fruit. be careful cause they will stick you and grasp the fruit twisting each in opposite directions.

peel the bottom leaves off one at a time starting from the very bottom until you expose enough that will stick down in a pot of potting soil.  If you look real careful, you can see little white and brown nubs, these are roots already beginning to form.  They really are anxious to grow and reproduce.  I usually leave mine on the counter top for a few days before I plant it.

I don't grow enough pineapple to warrant a peeler and corer so I begin by slicing mine into

and again to make quarters

cut out the white core on each piece. 

and then slice the fruit out of the pineapple shell (peel)

I take a spoon and scrape the shell to get every bit  of the good stuff. 

Yummy!  I am trying to decide what to make with this wonderful stuff!  I found some recipes for pineapple cheesecake....I can use some of the cream cheese I made the other day!  Maybe a fruit salad or how about a pineapple upside down cake cooked in a cast iron skillet....decisions...decisions.   I need more pineapple!

I put the spoon scrapings in the fresh vanilla yogurt I made yesterday.  Papa Bear and I had it for a mid-morning snack.

I chopped the core, shell and added the leaves I peeled to give to my girls for a treat

Thanks Mom!