Food – All Things Pineapple

June 27 is National Pineapple Day and this luscious fruit offers all kinds of ways to celebrate! Prepare yourself for a golden day! The pineapple is always cause for celebration and with its very own day smack in the middle of summer, you'll probably need a week to properly celebrate the sweet golden fruit. You can decorate your house, find gifts to give, grow your own pineapple, make a cake and toast it all with a tropical drink dedicated to the pineapple. Grab a couple of cans of the fruit, a bottle of the juice or a fresh pineapple and let's get started. There are so many reasons to celebrate National Pineapple Day. Pineapples Are Good For You Did you know pineapples are actually a berry? They are! When you think berry, you probably think about dark red or purple colors - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc. (Funny, they also all have the dead giveaway "berry" right in their names.) From Wikipedia: In common usage, the term "berry" differs from the scientific or botanical definition of a fruit produced from the ovary of a single flower in which the outer layer of the ovary wall develops into an edible fleshy portion. And it turns out, things that are technically berries, but usually not referred to as berries are: cucumbers, grapes, tomatoes, eggplants, watermelons and chili peppers. And now we know - pineapples! On a pineapple, all those little eyes or tufts all over the pineapple skin are actually flowers that are joined together. It's called a "collective fruit." Each one is a flower! Like most traditional berries, pineapples are chock-a-block full of antioxidants and vitamin C. You may have heard that an easy way to eat healthy is to "eat the rainbow". Pineapples fit right into this with their sunny yellow flesh. Brightly colored fruits and berries are all super healthy for you, so make that fruit salad as colorful as you can! Let's talk about pineapple on pizza - Blasphemy! Insanity! Heresy! Okay okay, we all know about the great divide regarding pineapple on pizza. (Personally I LOVE the tangy sweet alongside a spicy pepperoni or salty ham. These are just great flavor combos. Have you had prosciutto and melon? YUM!) No matter what side you are on that fight, remember that pineapples are good for you and therefore, pizza with pineapple on top is good for you. Pineapples Say Aloha When you think of Pineapples, you probably think The Tropics and Hawai'i and beaches and fruity drinks which all makes sense. Does the word Aloha come to mind as well? Pineapples are the symbol for welcoming and good hospitality (Read all about that here) which is what the Aloha Spirit is all about - making people feel welcome and comfortable and part of the family. The Golden Fruit symbolizes the Golden Rule - Do unto others what you want them to do to you. Or as we say in Hawai'i: Keep a pineapple nearby to remember to live with a full heart. Give a pineapple themed gift to share the aloha spirit with friends and family. Live Aloha! Pineapples Make Great Gifts If you want to share the pineapple love on Pineapple Day, there are many ways to do so. This website has many articles about gifts you might give: jewelry, tote bags, stickers and hostess gifts of all kinds along with other ideas. Let's look at some of those other ideas. Edible Arrangements has a whole section dedicated to National Pineapple Day. Options from smaller arrangements of fresh fruit to larger trays filled with chocolate covered berries - including pineapple of course! - are on offer. Send some chocolate covered sunshine to someone you love. Or send some to yourself! Maybe your pet loves pineapples as much as you do? How about a pineapple house for them to sleep in? This fun pineapple house comes in two sizes and will surely appeal to your pet. It's cozy and bright and while they might not understand why you giggle when they curl up in it, they'll be comfortable and happy anyway. (click here for the link to buy on Amazon) Maui Gold Pineapples are grown on the island of Maui, on the slopes of Haleakala drinking in all that warm Hawaiian sunshine. You can buy fresh pineapple to ship across the US via 2-day shipping so your golden gifts arrive fresh. They offer 1, 2 and 8 packs to go. You can also buy gift cards if you are not sure just how much pineapple your recipients are ready for. Maui made Vodka - Pau Maui Vodka - is also a great gift to bring a touch of the islands to friends and family. Pair it with some fresh pineapple, pineapple juice and a list of cool cocktails* to try and you'll be well remembered as the best gift giver. (There are other liquors made on Maui using pineapple as a base, check those out too!) And if you happen to be on Maui, you can book a visit and tasting to the distillery. If wine is more your style, Maui Wines has you covered with their pineapple wine collection. They also have a beautiful tasting room and restaurant and while the road to Ulupalakua and the tasting room might seem long and winding, the journey is worth it! The views across Maui and the surrounding ocean are unmatched as you drive. *Look for the article on this website where we try the pineapple cocktails. Pineapples Are Delicious Especially when baked! Pineapple Upside Down cake is a classic and while you might think: "But it's so old fashioned and kitschy!" You know what I'd say to that? Have you baked one lately? Because they are SO GOOD! Yes they are old school, but there is a reason this cake has stood the test of time. (Read more about the history of Pineapple Upside Down cake and a couple of the recipes I baked.) Choose one of the recipes from the post on our site and get baking. It is such an easy recipe and comes out so tasty. And remember, pineapple is good for you so this is really a cake that looks out for your good health. :-) Celebrate The Pineapple! Celebrating The Pineapple can be so much fun with so many ways to do so. Gifts to give, foods to make, tart golden beverages to try. Pick one way and invite all your friends over to join. Thanks for reading and now, I'm off to bake a pineapple upside down cake!