| The Pineapple |
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During the summer holiday season the lure of appealing tasty foods comes about and the sweet options to quench thirst. There is a cool tropical fruit to indulge in during our relaxing off days from work and school – the pineapple. Refrigerate the pineapple to let it be cool to eat on hot summer days. Use a sharp knife to slice off the head of the pineapple about 2cm from the top.  If the sharp, rough and prickly outer peel is problematic to sensitive hands use a cloth to hold the pineapple. Place the pineapple uprightly in a bowl that hugs it and lets it remain smugly in place. Cut into the flesh from the opening you made, cut downwards in lines and across in lines. Make sure the knife tip is reaching the base. By now there should be long rectangular pieces. Then cut out at a slight right angle to dislodge the rectangular pieces. The core is very fibrous and requires some chewing so for many it’s discarded. A fork can be used to twist and scrape out more pieces if you like the fibrous core. You will be using some arm muscle here, while you indulge in a sweet treat. With a spoon or teaspoon dig in! The results may be sticky but fun for young ones. Preferably let young children be outside in the shade while making a mess. After the pieces are consumed, the spoon or teaspoon can be used to scrape the sides of the inner pineapple and base, to extract pineapple juice. Then all that’s left for one to do is to scoop up the juice.  The whole process will probably keep one’s child/children busy for a while. In addition add a small tot of vodka or some other alcoholic beverage to rev up the pineapple cocktail, if desired for adults. Be imaginative! After cutting away and discarding the middle fibrous pulp, put in pieces of other fruits or whole cherries. In the pineapple selection we have two varieties; the cayenne and queen. The cayenne pineapple is larger, green-yellow outside with its flesh having a sweet-sour taste. It’s also usually relatively cheaper. The queen pineapple is smaller, orange-yellow outside and is distinctly sweeter in taste. Pineapples are sweet treats and provide juice to help keep us hydrated. Remember its summer, so watch out for dehydration. Talking of the sun! Protect yourselves from the sun’s rays, as skin cancer is a huge threat. For interests’ sake, did you know that a certain substance in pineapple (called bromelain) has been linked to cancer-protective effects by enabling our immune systems? Pineapples are low in calories which really help when we want a sweet treat on a warm relaxing day, or any day. Anastacia Sampson D.N. Med |