hob wrote:
> [snip]
> Please cite the "authority" that states a pineapple does not ripen once
> picked - (and please, not the Dole
> marketing-of-canned-pineapple-you-can't-get-any-better-than-canned-BS
> department pap put out for foppish haulis)
>
The lengthy quote below is from www.wholehealthmd.com, a reasonably
reliable source about food (though they do not do a good job citing
their sources of information): -aem

"Once the fruit has been harvested, it won't get any sweeter, so
growers ripen pineapples on the plant to a point where they are almost
fully ripe, with a high sugar content and plenty of juice. (If too
ripe, the fruit may spoil before it gets to market.) After harvesting,
the pineapples are shipped as quickly as possible, arriving within two
to three days.

"Because a picked pineapple will only get older but will never develop
more sweetness or juiciness, most of the traditional tricks for judging
its "ripeness" are unreliable. For example, don't bother trying to
judge the fruit by its color: the skin of a pineapple that was picked
before it was ripe may in fact turn a lovely golden yellow, but the
fruit on the inside will be just as unsweet as it was when picked. The
same goes for other methods--thumping it to test its "soundness" or
pulling a crown leaf to see how loose it is. These will only be a guide
to the age, not to the sweetness of the fruit within.

"Your best guide to "ripeness" is a label or tag indicating that the
pineapple was jet-shipped from Hawaii. These pineapples are more likely
to be in prime condition (and also more expensive) than those brought
in by truck or boat from Latin America. In addition, because pineapples
brought in from Central America have a longer journey, they are often
picked too green, which means they may be fibrous and not very sweet.

"One relatively reliable guide to a pineapple's goodness is its
fragrance (though if the fruit is cold, the aroma may not be apparent).
Sniff it at the stem end."