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Zucchini
Squash is finally back
in good supplies and prices.
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The best Zucchini will
be straight,
dark green and shiny.
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ZUCCHINI SQUASH (Monday, April 5): Passover begins tonight at
sundown, and for the next 8 days, millions of Americans will
be celebrating this important holiday season. By the Jewish calendar,
this is year 5764. The festival lasts for eight days, incorporating
the rich tradition of the Seder family meal on the first two
nights. One of the seven symbolic foods of Passover is “Karpas,” or
green vegetables. One of the more popular Passover dish is stuffed
Zucchini. Fortunately, Passover didn’t take place a month
ago when squash prices were very expensive. During winter months,
about half of our soft squash comes from Mexico and the other
half from Florida and Georgia. Both of those major growing regions
had plenty of weather problems into February, with a lot of cold
and rain. That cold and rain not only caused immediate crop damage,
but also caused damage well into late March. That’s because
squash comes from a blossom. When the rains and cold hit, a lot
of those blossoms were knocked off the plant. Every blossom is
a piece of squash. Well, that affects supplies 30 – 45
days after the bad weather. Not only are blossoms affected, but
the crop is affected when the pollination is disrupted, which
leads to very poor yields and poor quality squash. We are now
moving into some newer fields in the Culiacan and Los Mochis
growing regions in Mexico. These fields are producing great quality
supplies of both Zucchini and Yellow Squash. Within just a few
weeks, there should also be new crops beginning in the Coachella
Valley in California. Look for Zucchini Squash that is straight.
It’s a whole lot easier stuffing a straight Zucchini. Also,
check the blossom end and see if it is firm. The skin should
have a nice dark green color, and should be shiny. Less than
thirty years ago, the zucchini, formerly often referred to
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There’s
nothing fancy about a field
of Zucchini Squash. |
as
green Italian squash, was hardly recognized in the United States.
Today, it is not only widely recognized, but a particular favorite
of home gardeners. Notwithstanding its prolific growing nature,
its popularity is probably due to in large part to its versatility
as a vegetable as well as in breads and desserts. Some of these "small
squashes" grow to 18 inches! Over-ripe zucchini and those
past their prime can be bitter, but that didn't stop a New York
gardener from growing the world's longest zucchini, a whopping
69 and a half inches! Introduced to Americans in the 1920s, zucchini
has become as common as carrots. With its mild taste, zucchini
is enormously versatile. Oversized, mature zucchinis are best
when stuffed and baked. Zucchinis are available year-round. Zucchini
squash is the favored jewel of the summer squashes. Its flavor
is light and sweet with flesh as delicate as a flower and texture
that makes it almost melt in the mouth. Before we scramble off
on other zucchini facts, let's take a look at its lineage. Summer
squashes, as well as winter squashes, are native to the Americas
and belong to the family of curcurbita. Zucchini, Cucurbita pepo,
is a member of the cucumber and melon family. Inhabitants of
Central and South America have been eating zucchini for several
thousand years, but the zucchini we know today is a variety of
summer squash developed in Italy. The word zucchini comes from
the Italian zucchino, meaning a “small squash.” Christopher
Columbus originally brought seeds to the Mediterranean region
and Africa. The French snubbed zucchini for a long time until
chefs learned to choose small fruits that are less bland and
watery. The French term for zucchini is courgette, often used
interchangeably for yellow squash as well. Although the term
summer squash can mean a variety of different squashes depending
on whom you are speaking with, you can pretty much use the different
summer squash varieties interchangeably. Archaeologists have
traced their origins to Mexico, dating back from 7,000 to 5,500
BC, when they were an integral part of the ancient diet of maize,
beans, and squashes. That pre-Columbian food trio is still the
mainstay of the Mexican cuisine and is known today as the "three
sisters." The colonists of New England adopted the name
squash, a word derived from several Native
American words, primarily “askutasquash,” which
means “green thing eaten green” or "something
eaten raw." Early colonists enjoyed these “soft squashes” because
they were easy to eat. So many colonists had very poor dental
hygiene or false teeth. George Washington and Thomas Jefferson
were squash enthusiasts who even enjoyed growing them. Zucchini
squashes are very low in calories. There are only 13 calories
in a half-cup of raw zucchini. But they are loaded with moisture,
which is what our bodies need in the summertime. That’s
why these soft squashes were called “summer squash.” At
one time, they were available only in the summer, which was perfect
because that’s when our bodies needed the most moisture
and fewer calories. The best zucchinis are the small (5 inches
and under), tender ones. The larger the Zucchini, the larger
the seeds and seed cavity inside. The larger the seed cavity,
the more likely it will mush in cooking. Most chefs agree: anything
over 8 inches is fit only for stuffing. Nutritionally, zucchinis
are rich in valuable antioxidants. Plus contain beta-carotene,
vitamin C, folic acid and calcium. Zucchini squash is also a
good source of fiber (4 grams per cup). An adult should get about
30 grams of fiber per day in their diet. One cup of zucchini
has nearly as much potassium as a banana. Plus it contains the
valuable mineral nutrient phosphorus. Zucchini can be steamed,
fried, sautéed, or baked and they are excellent when sliced
and grilled. The round ball-shaped variety, sometimes referred
to as Eight Ball zucchini, is an excellent type to be hollowed
out and cooked with rice stuffing. The meat of this vegetable
is a very versatile ingredient for a variety of other foods such
as breads, cakes, bars, and other baked goods. Store in plastic
bag in refrigerator up to four days. Be sure there is no moisture
in the bag. At the first sign of wilting, use immediately. Softness
is a sign of deterioration. If your zucchini is overly large,
it will have more water. Some chefs prefer to drain large zucchini
of its water before proceeding with a recipe, much like as is
done with eggplant. To drain, cut into slices and arrange them
in a shallow dish; sprinkle uniformly with coarse salt and let
drain for 20 to 30 minutes. Strain under cold water, pat dry
and proceed with recipe. Scrub zucchini gently with soft brush
under running water to clean. Slice off both ends. Do not peel
the edible skin. Tiny zucchinis are good raw with a drizzle of
olive oil. Due to its high water content, zucchini is best steamed
or cooked as quickly as possible with a minimum of water added.
Ratatouille is a signature dish made with zucchini, sweet peppers,
eggplant, and tomatoes. Just remember, overcook zucchini and
you end up with mush. There is no way to salvage it other than
to make soup.
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Check the
neck of the Onion.
You’re looking for decay.
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ONIONS (Tuesday, April 6): Have you been crying because of the
prices of onions? It’s pretty normal for prices to be at
their highest during the late winter and early spring weeks.
The winter storage crop is ending very quickly, and the spring
crop is still not in full harvest. This year is no exception.
Prices are climbing quickly. Better weather in Texas should help
speed up harvest there, followed by harvest in the Imperial Valley
in California. Also, this time of year, we start seeing more
quality issues, usually decay. You can find it usually around
the neck of the onion. Simply lift up the peel around the neck
and see if you find any decay or softness. The onion is believed
to have originated in Asia, though it is likely that onions may
have been growing wild on every continent. Dating back to 3500
BC, onions were one of the few foods that did not spoil during
the winter months. Our ancestors must have recognized the vegetable's
durability and began growing onions for food. The onion became
more than just food after arriving in Egypt. The ancient Egyptians
worshipped the onion, believing that its spherical shape and
concentric rings symbolized eternity. Of all the vegetables that
had their images created from precious metals by Egyptian artists,
only the onion was made out of gold. Today, onions are used in
a variety of dishes and rank sixth among the world's leading
vegetable crops. According to an old English Rhyme, the thickness
of an onionskin can help predict the severity of the winter.
Thin skins mean a
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Onion availability
chart.
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These onions
in the
Texas Rio Grande Valley
are ready for harvest.
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mild winter is coming while thick skins indicate
a rough winter ahead. If you eat onions you can get rid of onion
breath by eating parsley. Americans eat 18.8 pounds of fresh
and storage type onions on average each year. During the American
Civil War, General Ulysses S. Grant sent a telegram to the War
Department, "I will not move my army without onions." The
next day he got them. Yellow onions make up more than 75% of
the worlds production of onions. The U.S. produces well over
2 million metric tons of onions annually. The official state
vegetable of Georgia is the Vidalia onion. The official state
vegetable of Texas is the Texas Sweet onion. According to the
National Onion Association, onion consumption in the U.S. has
increased approximately 50% over the past 20 years. The onion
is a member of the pungent Allium genus of the lily family, which
also includes garlic, leeks, shallots, scallions, and chives.
The word onion comes to us from the Latin unio (meaning large
pearl), which in Middle English became unyon. Most commercially
grown are of the common or seed (A. cepa) variety. Did you know
that the bustling city of Chicago was named for a variety of
onion the Native American Indians called chicago (A. canadense)?
The onion was considered as valuable as gold in the Middle Ages
and has long been a symbol of eternity due to their structural
composition of layers within layers forming a sphere.
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Onion growing
regions in the United States.
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The onion
has amazingly been the focus of some mighty strange legislation
over the years. For example, in Nacogdoches, Texas, it's against
the law for "young women" to indulge in any raw onions
after 6 pm! Sweet onion varieties have been traced back to a
packet of seeds from the Canary Islands shipped to South Texas
in 1898. Those Bermuda onion seeds were planted near the city
of Cotulla. The sweet onion crop was an instant success. In 1933,
the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station began a cooperative
breeding program with the U. S. Department of Agriculture to
develop new hybrids and varieties. This is perhaps the most well
known of the sweet onion varieties. It was first grown in Toombs
County, Georgia, but it came to Georgia from Texas. It is by
law grown only in thirteen counties and portions of seven others
in southeast Georgia. The soil and climatic conditions in these
defined areas combine to produce the sweeter granex hybrid trademarked
as Vidalia onions. The city of Vidalia was the site of a Farmer's
Market since it was located at the junction of several heavily
traveled highways. The sweet granex onion came to be called after
this hub city. Vidalias are harvested from late April through
mid-June, and thanks to controlled-atmosphere storage, they are
available through December. The Vidalia onion is a light golden-brown
bulb with a white interior, rounded at the bottom and somewhat
flat on the top stem end. The grandfather of this variety was
the grano, originally imported from Valencia, Spain in 1925.
The 1015Y variety was developed at Texas A&M University as
a strain, which was more resistant to pink root disease than
the Grano varieties. Prime time for Texas 1015s is April through
June. It derives its name from its ideal planting date, October
15. Horticulturist Leonard Pike is responsible for isolating
the tear-causing chemical pyruvate and decreasing its presence
to result in the sweet 1015. This variety can grow to softball-size,
with optimum size being 3-4 inches in diameter. Its single-center
design makes it a perfect candidate for fried onion rings. From
the university home of the 1015, this small recipe collection
includes a foolproof recipe for onion rings. Named for the Washington
State city, the Walla Walla originated on the Island of Corsica
off the west coast of Italy. The seeds were brought to Walla
Walla (Native American for "many waters") in the late
1800s. Law also controls the marketing of Walla Walla Sweet onions,
which must be grown in a specified area of the Walla Walla valley
to claim the name. This variety is available from June through
August. Generally, sweet onions are in season during the late
spring/early summer months. Choose onions with tightly closed
necks that are absolutely dry, avoiding those with a thick, woody
center in the neck. The skin should be bright and shiny. If you
notice dark, powdery patches under the skin, pass it up since
it's an indication of a common mold, which will eventually spoil
the flesh. Sprouting is an indication of age and poor storage.
Yet, if they have sprouted in your pantry, you can use the green
sprouts as a substitute for scallions even if the flesh may be
useless. Sweet onions have a shorter shelf life than common varieties
due to a higher water and sugar content. Thus, it's important
to store them properly. Ideally, they should be stored in a cool,
dark, dry location and spread out for optimum air circulation.
Most growers suggest placing onions in a clean pair of pantyhose,
with knots tied in between each onion, and hang them in a cool,
dry place. Just snip off below each knot when you need one. Stored
properly, sweet onions should last in your pantry about ten days
to two weeks. Cut, raw onion leftovers should be tightly wrapped
and refrigerated to be used within a few days. Although sweet
onions are best eaten raw, they can be chopped and frozen for
future cooking uses, with no blanching necessary. Frozen onions
begin to lose their flavor after about twelve months in the freezer.
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Besides
wearing goggles, what’s the best way
to keep from crying
when you’re cutting
your onion?
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Cooking converts the sometimes spicy/hot all-purpose onion into
sweet morsels. Healers through the ages have had great respect
for the curative powers of the onion and recent studies have
validated these old beliefs. Onions contain more than one hundred
sulfur-containing compounds. One sulfur compound has been found
to prevent the biochemical chain of events that lead to asthma
and respiratory ailments. Onions are rich in flavonoids, which
have been shown to deactivate several potent carcinogens and
tumor promoters as well as interfere with the growth of estrogen-sensitive
cells involved in breast cancer. Last but not least, an onion
a day can raise HDL's (good cholesterol), resulting in lower
blood pressure and prevention of blood clots. One-half cup of
raw onion has 30 calories; one-half cup of boiled has 45. Onions
also contain generous amounts of Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, and
folic acid. The phrase "brown an onion" can be misleading.
If you brown an onion slowly over low heat (called caramelizing),
you will have a sweet, mild flavor. Over a medium heat, a stronger
taste emerges. If cooked in very hot oil, very quickly, a more
jagged flavor develops. All methods are "browning the onion," but
each will produce a big difference in the taste of a dish. A
raw onion, peeled and chopped, bears absolutely no resemblance
to one that has been baked whole in its skin in a 350° F.
oven. Only then does the onion reveal all the depth and breadth
of its complex flavors. Check for doneness with a toothpick after
30 or 40 minutes, depending on the size of the onion, and then
use as indicated in your recipe. When an onion is cut, the cells
that are damaged in the process release sulfuric compounds as
well as various enzymes, notably one called sulfoxide lyase.
Those compounds and enzymes, which are separated when the onion's
cell structure is intact, activate and mix to form the real culprit
behind crying, a volatile new compound called thiopropanal sulfoxide.
When thiopropanal sulfoxide evaporates in the air, it irritates
the eyes, causing us to cry. Over the years, I’ve collected
more than 20 ideas from viewers and colleagues all aimed at reducing
tears while cutting onions. Julie and I have put most of these
ideas to the test. They ranged from the common sense (work underneath
an exhaust fan or freeze onions for 30 minutes before slicing)
to the comical (wear ski goggles or hold a toothpick in your
teeth). Overall, the methods that worked best were to protect
our eyes by covering them with goggles or contact lenses or to
introduce a flame near the cut onions. The flame, which can be
produced by either a candle or a gas burner, changes the activity
of the thiopropanal sulfoxide by completing its oxidization.
Contact lenses and goggles form a physical barrier that the thiopropanal
cannot penetrate. So if you want to keep tears at bay when handling
onions, light a candle or gas burner or put on some ski goggles.
Or you can do what many chefs do. They refrigerate their onions,
which makes the cells quite cold. Colder temperatures slow down
molecular movement, so when you a cutting through the cell structure
of the onions, the molecules take longer to reach your eyes.
There really is one foolproof way of not crying. Have your husband
chop them up. That’s what my dear wife, Julie does.
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Get
out the Vanilla Ice Cream. It’s time to enjoy
Cantaloupes again.
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The
state of Sonora is in northern Mexico. That’s
where our spring crop of Cantaloupes are grown.
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CANTALOUPE (Wednesday, April
7): Finally, we’re getting
some better quality melons, and prices are starting to get back
to more normal levels for this time of year. For most of the
winter, prices have been very high, and quality was aweful. In
fact, many retail stores around the country just stopped carrying
Cantaloupe. That’s how bad it got. Well, we are finally
coming into new crop acreage in northern Mexico, in the state
of Sonora, around the town of Hermosillo. Up until now, most
of our melons have been coming from “off-shore” growing
regions of Central and South America and the Caribbean, mostly
Costa Rica and Guatemala. Cantaloupes, like most other melons,
originated in the Middle East. They love the hot, dry conditions.
So if they don’t get hot, dry growing conditions, the yields
and quality are way off. Cooler weather and rains throughout
the growing regions not only slowed growth, cut yields, but also
spread viruses and plant diseases throughout the region. In northern
Mexico, near the town of Hermosillo, most of the nation’s
spring cantaloupe crop is just about ready for peak harvest.
This region of Mexico used to be a vast desert, until farmers
drilled deep water wells, tapping into vast underground rivers
flowing with crystal clean
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Use
a brush to scrub and wash your cantaloupe…before
you cut into it.
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water which had filtered through the
Sierra Madre mountain range. Farmers put in drip irrigation and
turned this desert into a sprawling melon oasis. We are finally
starting to see better quality, with better sugar, better color,
flavor, and a thinner rind. Within a month, Texas, Arizona and
California fields should also start their spring harvest, which
will certainly increase quality, but also bring better prices.
Cantaloupes do not gain any more sugar content once they have
been picked. But, you can increase the flavor and even make it “taste” sweeter.
If you leave your unripe Cantaloupe out at room temperature,
you will cause some of the acids in the fruit to dissipate, and
the other volatile compounds in the fruit will mix, causing the
flavor to improve, and because some of the acids have dissipated,
it gives the impression that it is sweeter. There are fewer acids
to counter the sugar content in the melon. Remember to always
scrub the outside of your Cantaloupe with a brush. All of those
nooks and crannies in the rind is a perfect hiding place for
bad bacteria. Get out the Vanilla Ice Cream! It’s time
to once again enjoy sweet Cantaloupe.
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In our
home, Green Beans graced our dinner table at most holidays,
especially Easter.
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| How can you
tell if these Green Beans are fresh? There is a way. |
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Here’s
where most of our Green Beans
come from during the year
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GREEN BEANS (Thursday, April 8): The three sisters of life --
that's what the Native Americans called their trio of essential
vegetables: beans, corn, and squash. Green beans are an old New
World food, known in Mexico for some 7,000 years before the arrival
of the conquistadors. The first European to see them growing
may well have been Christopher Columbus. When the green bean
was brought back to Europe, it was instantly accepted because
of its similarity to an existing vegetable, the broad bean. Green
beans were also welcome because they resembled asparagus and
could be prepared similarly. In fact, one seventeenth-century
dictionary writer, Randle Cofgrave, called them "sperage
beans." In Tuscany, the green bean's popularity won the
Tuscans the nickname mangia fagioli, or "bean eaters." The
word haricot, which originally referred to the newly arrived
green bean, is clearly French, but it is actually a corruption
of the Aztec word ayacotl. The connection with Native Americans
is perpetuated in the names of bean varieties such as Hopi String
Bean and Cherokee Trail of Tears. Now enjoying near-universal
popularity, fresh green beans are the main ingredient in many
of the world's favorite dishes. German cooks make blind Huhn
(blind hen), a savory combination of apples, carrots, bacon,
and beans. A Bulgarian moussaka, called mussakes selen fassul,
substitutes fresh beans and other vegetables for the eggplant
and a yogurt mixture for the bechamel. Italians and Cajuns stew
green beans a long time, smothered with onions and other vegetables;
by contrast, beans prepared al dente, adorned with the pods and
leaves of nasturtiums, come to us, not from the hot chef of the
moment but from the eighteenth-century Shakers. Another delightful
dish requires only a simple tossing of green beans with butter
and savory, known as the "bean herb." Beans are also
excellent pickled, a favorite treatment in Pennsylvania Dutch
country. Phaseolus vulgaris is the Latin name for the green bean
plant. (Phaseolus means "boat" and refers to the pod
that carries the beans.) Today's growers have developed different
varieties depending on whether the vegetable is to be consumed
fresh or grown to maturity and then dried. Several types of fresh
and dried beans are often combined in salads and vegetable dishes
for an interesting contrast of tastes and textures. Today's popular
varieties include thin, round Blue Lakes and the flatter Kentucky
Wonders, also called Old Homesteads; both have actually been
around since the mid-1800s. Although many people still call the
vegetable "string beans," stringlessness has been bred
into most of today's varieties. The fewer beans in the pan, the
quicker they cook and the better they taste. If cooking more
than one pound at a time, use separate pans. Fresh green beans
taste nothing like their canned or frozen counterparts. When
fresh, green beans have snap and texture. Green beans used to
be called string beans, but the fibrous string has been mostly
bred out of them. Green beans are available year-round. Choose
brightly colored beans with a smooth surface. Avoid those that
are leathery or withered. If you can bend a bean at a 90° angle
without snapping it, the bean is past its prime. Select green
beans of equal size to facilitate even cooking. When you walk
up to a big pile of Green Beans, how do you know they are fresh?
Grab one of the plastic bags in the produce department. Open
it up and put your hand in. Now simply push down on that pile
of Green Beans. If they squeak, they’re fresh. If they
don’t, they’re not. Refrigerate, unwashed, in an
airtight bag for up to 4 days. Most vegetable side dishes require
significant last-minute preparation—which no one wants
when preparing and assembling a multicourse holiday meal. Enter
Green beans—the perfect side dish—that can be prepared
largely beforehand without sacrificing texture or flavor. Simply
blanch the beans to ensure a crisp texture, then refrigerate
them for up to three days. When the rest of the meal is ready,
toss the beans in a hot skillet with a simple butter sauce. Fresh
beans are classified into two basic categories: edible pod beans
and shell beans. Green beans, otherwise known as snap or string
beans, are the most popular edible pod bean in the United States.
Many of our dinner tables will be graced with Green Beans during
this holiday season. In fact, during most holiday seasons at
our home, Green Beans will be on the dinner table.
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I am on
a mission to have
Pineapple served at every
dinner during holiday times.
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Pineapple
fields in Hawaii.
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PINEAPPLE (Friday, April 9): I am on a mission to get every
home to have a Pineapple on their dinner table, at least at every
holiday meal when family and friends are there. Easter is this
Sunday, and no doubt, there will be many Easter dinners, fancy
and full of great food. Pineapple should be part of that food.
Pineapple is the universal symbol of friendship and welcome.
That’s why you will often find the Pineapple carved on
the entry gates and carved on doors and walls in homes. At one
time, more than one-third of the world's commercial supply of
pineapples came from Hawaii. However, the pineapple that made
Hawaii famous is not from Hawaii at all. Pineapples most likely
originated in Brazil, but there are no known native or wild pineapples
known today. They are probably a cultivated species that developed
under conditions of artificial selection. It's not a pine nor
an apple, and it's not native to Hawaii. However, since it was
first canned and became a major crop there, we associate pineapple
with Hawaii and the tastes of the islands. Ananas comosus is
the botanical name of the fruit we know as the pineapple. Native
to South America, it was named for its resemblance to a pine
cone, the pine cone reference first appearing in print in 1398.
The term pineapple (or pinappel in Middle English) did not appear
in print until nearly three centuries later in 1664. Christopher
Columbus is credited with discovering the pineapple on the island
of Guadeloupe in 1493, although the fruit had long been grown
in South America. He called it piña de Indes meaning "pine
of the Indians." South American Guarani Indians cultivated
pineapples for food. They called it naná, meaning "excellent
fruit." Another explorer, Magellan, is credited with finding
pineapples in Brazil in 1519, and by 1555, the luscious fruit
was being exported with gusto to England. It soon spread to India,
Asia, and the West Indies. When George Washington tasted pineapple
in 1751 in Barbados, he declared it his favorite tropical fruit.
Although the pineapple thrived in Florida, it was still a rarity
for most Americans. Captain James Cook later introduced the pineapple
to Hawaii in 1790. However, commercial cultivation did not begin
until the 1880s when steamships made transporting the perishable
fruit viable. In 1903, James Drummond Dole began canning pineapple,
making it easily accessible worldwide. Production stepped up
dramatically when a new machine automated the skinning and coring
of the fruit. The Dole Hawaiian Pineapple Company was a booming
business by 1921, making pineapple Hawaii's largest crop and
industry. Today, Hawaii produces only ten percent of the world's
pineapple crops. Other countries contributing to the pineapple
industry include Mexico, Honduras, Dominican Republic, Philippines,
Thailand, Costa Rica, China, and Asia. It is the third most canned
fruit behind applesauce and peaches. It has wonderful tenderizing
enzymes and goes especially well with pork as well as poultry,
seafood, and sweet-and-sour dishes. Of course, there are always
plenty of dessert recipes using pineapple. Pineapples, like melons,
do not have any starch reserves, so they do not get sweeter after
they are picked. They must be harvested after they begin to ripen.
The sweetest part of the pineapple is at the base. Pineapples
should be ripened at room temperature. Ripe pineapples can be
stored at 40 degrees F. for several weeks. Drink a glass of pineapple
juice in the morning before work or school, eat a slice of pineapple
topped with cottage cheese or add to your favorite low fat pizza
for a fun treat. Select pineapples with a nice fragrant smell.
If possible choose pineapples that have been jet shipped from
Hawaii or Central America because they will be the freshest.
Avoid those pineapples with sour or fermented odors. Store at
room temperature for 1 or 2 days before serving to allow the
pineapple to become softer and sweeter. Store in the refrigerator
for 3 to 5 days or cut pineapple into chunks and store for up
to 7 days. Cut up pineapple also freezes well.
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