Pineapples from Pineapples...

Living in subtropical southern Florida makes it possible to watch things grow that you never thought of before. You can practically toss a rock into the soil and it will root! No green thumb here, as you well know, but I even surprised myself with this one.

I had purchased a pineapple at the grocery store. It was one of those with a green, leafy top. I've loved pineapples since I was little, so they're real treats for me! Well, I cut the top off and, on a lark, stuck in in a bowl of water. (I was treating it like a potato that we got to root when I was a kid.) It didn't grow roots as I expected. It kind of rotted sitting in the water. (yuk!)

I didn't toss it, but I did try something different. I pulled all the rotten pulp off the leafy part, which was still green and viable, pressed the core into some root powder and placed the whole thing into some nice potting soil in a favorite pot. It worked! The core formed roots and the leafy part started to grow...and grow...and grow!

I finally planted it in the ground outside our front door. It actually got huge! I was so excited that my plant was growing that really, that was enough for me. Then, one day about two years later, I walked out the front door to find a tiny growth in the center. Weeks went by and I realized that my pineapple plant was actually growing a pineapple! The fruit only grew to be about eight inches tall, but when it became obvious that it wasn't going to get any larger, I cut the fruit away from the plant and cut it open to taste the sweetest little pineapple you could imagine. Two years later, it flowered and produced fruit again and then the plant died.

The photo above is one of our actual little pineapples. I'm thinking it's time to head to Publix and get another pineapple (or two) with the leaves attached. It would be fun to watch the tops grow into plants and then produce fruit again. I love that even a brown thumb can do this in Florida!

Have a great day wherever you are. Try something new this week. Your results may just produce something thoroughly unexpected.