Yesterday was coconut, today is the other non-alcohol half of the piña colada, and another plant that grows well here, the pineapple. In fact, it grows so well here, at one time, Jensen Beach was considered the “Pineapple Capital of the World”. From Wikipedia:

The history of Jensen Beach in the 19th century revolves around pineapple farming. John Laurence Jensen, an immigrant from Denmark, arrived in 1881, and set up his pineapple plantation, which became the town of Jensen.

By 1895, Jensen was called the “Pineapple Capital of the World,” shipping over one million boxes of pineapples each year during the June and July season. To help deal with the increased Pineapple production, a Pineapple Factory was built.

A hard freeze in 1895 devastated most of the small pineapple plantations. Also, two fires, 1908 and 1910, destroyed most of Jensen Beach and its remaining Pineapple farms. The industry finally collapsed in 1920 due to a wide variety of financial and agriculture problems.

Other than the taste, what I like about pineapples is their ability to thrive on neglect. I once had a pineapple top in a bowl sitting next to my garage. I forgot about it, and other than the occasional rain, it received no water for almost 5 months. When I realized it was still alive and kicking, I planted it where it would receive regular water, and 18 months later, it had grown to a monster plant and started to produce fruit. We ended up getting 4 or 5 pineapples and new plants off of that hardy little plant, and the last time I was as that house (we’ve since moved), it was still growing strong and producing, having taken over several square feet of yard space.

Getting a pineapple plant started is simple- get a pineapple. Cut off the top, leaving a little of the fruit with it, and place it in a bowl of water until it roots then plant it, or simply plant it, watering it every week or so until it gets established. You can omit sticking it into a dry bowl to be neglected for several months.

As you should know by now, I like FREE food…and pineapple is one of the tastier foods I can show you how to get for free. Speak to a grocery manager, at a store like Publix or Whole Foods, and ask to have the tops of the cut pineapples saved so that you may plant them. I’ve yet to be turned down, and once saw a score of 70 plant tops at one time! (The pineapples in these pictures in this post are from that score). And once established, they will eventually produce more pineapples than you can believe.

They make a fair houseplant, for those up north, but it takes almost two years for a plant to fruit, so you’ll probably miss out on all the free pineapples.

Being rather aggressively spiked, they also make a decent protective hedge, say, under your daughter’s bedroom window. You’ve gotta love a multipurpose plant that protects our kids and also goes well with either ham OR rum (or both).

So if you liked yesterday’s post, walking in the rain, and are NOT into yoga….go plants some pineapples! On a hot summer day, an icy cold, free,  homegrown, sweet pineapple spear makes a mighty tasty refreshment. Using it as a garnish for a glass of iced coconut cream, some pineapple juice, and some rum just adds to the perfectness of the escape.

Yeah, I said that.

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