The Maple Hill Hop 144

Welcome to 

The Maple Hill Hop.

This is a hop for folks who love the outdoors.

Feel free to post about anything that's going on

OUTSIDE

in your neck of the woods,
no matter the season.

(Please share only outdoor posts.)

*Grab the button above to link back to Maple Hill 101.*


Today we're featuring some locally grown fruit.
Real local.
Like, "in the neighborhood" local.  

 Our friends, who live a block over,
have a lot going on in their yard.
The Mister, in particular,
has quite the green thumb.
His front yard is loaded with gorgeous flowers.
(We hope to do a feature on it soon.)

But his banana tree is a sight to see.
Have you ever seen one so loaded with fruit?

The most amazing thing was pointed out to me by his wife.
There are several fingers with 2 or 3 bananas under the same skin.
Isn't that wild?
These bananas are mighty sweet when picked ripe.   

Over at Faye & Lynn's farm,
we needed to tidy up the pineapple patch.
They have a couple dozen plants growing,
but the weeds had gotten a bit out of hand.
Trust me, they're in there!

We took the time to do a count on the growing fruit.

Faye & Lynn had over a dozen pineapples growing,
though none of them were ripe yet.
Once you've grown pineapple,
you'll never eat the canned stuff again. 

Unfortunately, over the past week,
rats have gotten to the fruit before they could be picked.
So Faye & Lynn went ahead and harvested what was growing,
and will let them ripen in the house.
These beauties are too precious to share with those nasty critters.
 

Summer is marching on here.
The birdsongs make it a bit easier to take.

What's happening where you are?
HOP on!   
 
   

    An InLinkz Link-up

   

Seed to Table Series-Pineapple

Welcome to our Summer Series,

Seed to Table.

Every Friday, we'll explore a different crop

that you can grow in your own garden.

Whether you're in mid-harvest, already looking ahead to your fall garden,

 or just thinking about growing your own,

we hope this series inspires you.

We'll begin with planting from seed or seedling,

and end up with a scratch recipe. 

************

Pineapples are one of the easiest plants to grow.
Even in cooler climates,
these crops can be grown without much fuss.
They are virtually maintanence-free after the initial planting.
They have a dramatic presence in the garden and get quite large.
Given space to grow, adequate water and lots of sunshine,
they will thrive for years to come.




Here's how to get started with this luscious fruit.

The top of a pineapple was simply lopped off
and air dried for a few days.
If you don't have your own to use,
purchase one from the grocery store.
We buy only the "gold" variety,
and organic if we can find it.
The entire crown gets planted under the soil,
so that the spiky leaves are reaching for the sky.



It takes two years before the first fruit will appear.
It's nothing short of a miracle
when you notice this protuberance peeking out of the top of the plant.
You know you're on the right track.




It grows pretty quickly, depending on how much water it gets.
It transforms from a brown porcupine-like creature
with bright pink or purple flowers...

to a green egg-shaped orb.
The fruit grows up right out of the center stalk.
When it gets to be a golden orange color,
it's ready for harvest.
Simply twist it until it comes off in your hands.
The plant will continue to produce fruit for years.


 

If you've never had home-grown,
you'll think you've died and gone to heaven.
There is nothing that tastes quite so pure.
It doesn't last long around our place.
Fresh pineapple tastes as sweet as candy,
without the guilt.
The best part is that once you've eaten the fruit,
you've got another top to plant!
The bounty just keeps on a-comin'!



If you can keep yourself from devouring every morsel as soon as you pick it,
you might want to try it grilled.
Here's a simple Ina Garten recipe that looks mighty good!
(What does she make that doesn't?)

Grilled Pineapple
Ina Garten

1 large ripe golden pineapple, peeled, 

cored and cut into 8 to 10 wedges
Good olive oil
1/4 cup honey

Prepare a charcoal grill with a single layer of hot coals. 

You can also use a grill pan on the stove top.

Brush the pineapple wedges lightly with the oil 

and place them on the grill. 

Cook for 6 to 8 minutes per side until lightly colored. 

Remove to a serving plate and drizzle with honey.
Enjoy!

Seed to Table Series
Sweet Potatoes
Basil
Okra
Black-eyed Peas
Peanuts 
Rosemary

Wordless Wednesday

Planting Pineapple

One of the easiest fruits to grow here in Central Florida
is pineapple.
The flavor of these homegrown beauties is unlike anything
you'll find in a can at the grocery store.
I've grown these myself, so you know it has to be easy.

This is a pineapple patch at Faye & Lynn's homestead.

They use the metal trash cans to cover the plant when it gets near pickin' time,

so that the raccoons don't get to it first.

Here is Lynn's method of assuring a healthy, productive plant.

The top of the pineapple is saved.

It can be dried for a couple of days in the shade outside,

but it's not necessary.

Lynn uses  needle nosed pliers to remove the bottom-most leaves
from the crown of the plant.
Gloves help protect hands from thorny leaves.

You can see the ones closest to the neck are the most dried out.

By just removing a small handful of leaves,

the pineapple has a better chance at becoming productive.

The small brown patch you see here is the beginning of roots.

By eliminating the outer leaves, the roots have more opportunity to attach to the soil

and thus, start growing.

See how many more roots there are now?

Lynn whittles down until a small knob is formed.

That's what gets planted.

Pineapple plants like full sun and are surprisingly drought-tolerant.

Give them space, 

because many times, they will quadruple in size.

They can also be grown in containers.

This tropical wonder loves the heat!

The plant produces one fruit at a time,

but will continue to produce,

treating the gardener to sweet, juicy pineapple over and over.

When the base of the fruit turns from green to mostly brownish-orange,
it's ready to harvest.
Simply twist at the base and it will come right off.
You're set to enjoy one of the most delectable and refreshing tidbits
that ever came across your plate.
Enjoy!

Homemade Living Series

These two bloggers are also posting today in our series.

Make sure you stop by!

Mary@Homegrown on the Hill

Tammy@Our Neck of the Woods

There are so many gardeners out there in blogland that I fully admire.

So many of you are seasoned greenthumbs

and I marvel (and sometimes drool) 

when I see your gardens and all that you are able to produce 

for your families to enjoy.

I, however, 

am a work in progress and have miles to go...

 

Although our veggies have thus far been hit or miss,

we do grow our own pineapples.

We get a lot of comments on them when they are featured.

They are one of the easiest plants to grow,

as they have a minimum of needs.

Lest you think you need to live in Florida to grow these babies, read this.

 It starts here.

Simply cut off the top portion of a store-bought pineapple

(organic if you can find it).

 You want to leave it exposed to the air to dry out a bit before planting.

A week should do the trick.

 

Then install the entire top with part of the crown into your soil.

 The plants grow fairly quickly, given a good dose of regular rain.

One thing I didn't realize when I started the ones in our backyard,

is how wide a berth they need.

They tend to get quite large, especially by the third or fourth year.

Give 'em room to grow!

 

Ours have been fertilized with fish emulsion at times,

and other times not.

They are pretty forgiving.

About the second or third season, 

you'll notice something like a blossom growing in the center of the spiky leaves.

 

The colors include an unexpected magenta 

around the lower portion of the fruit.

 

 Eventually, the purple shade disappears,

and it turns brown all over,

with the top beginning to grow taller and turning green.

 Here it is in an unripened state.

Gotta wait just a little while longer!

 

Here it is in all of its magnificence!

When it turns golden and smells sweet at the stem,

it's time to harvest.

Just give it a gentle twist at the base and it should come right off.

 You'll taste the sweetest, most delicate juicy flavor.

If you've only eaten pineapple from a can,

your mouth will be in for a real treat.

There's just no comparison.

Every time you harvest another piece of fruit,

cut off the top and start a new plant.

Each crop will give you several fruits,

so you may never have to buy pineapple again.

And really, why would you?

  Be sure to check back next Wednesday 

when these ladies will be posting in our series:

Amber@Making a Home

Meg@Bit of Life

Staci@Life at Cobble Hill Farm