The first time I ever had fresh pineapple was at the salad bar at Eat ‘N Park. Up until that point I only ever had canned pineapple. I’m not a big canned fruit fan. It’s always seems way too sweet. Canned pineapple for whatever reason really doesn’t appeal to me. When I had fresh pineapple I could not believe the taste! It was sweet and slightly tart. It was soft with a little chew to it.
It wasn’t harsh or overly acidic like the canned version.
I could not get enough! From that point on I vowed that when living on my own I would get fresh pineapple when possible for a lovely treat. It seems that I prefer pineapple more in the summer months. I’m not sure what the growing season is for pineapple but the summer is when it calls my name. Along with watermelon. They have to compete with one another.
Cutting up a fresh pineapple is easy and tricky all at the same time. Slice off the top and bottom, then slice down along the sides removing the skin. Then you have to go through and try to remove as much of the “eyes” as possible. When you chop up the pineapple, you need to maneuver around the core.
And there’s the rub.
After what seems like a lot of work you’re left with some cubed pineapple but a whole heck ton of core!
What to do with all that pineapple core?
Well you could eat it. The pineapple core is edible although most people tend to not eat it since it has a harder and more gritty texture. What next?
Whatever you do, don’t throw it away! Save the core! It can be useful, I promise!
Freeze it! That’s right, your freezer is your friend and you can freeze that core for later uses.
Perhaps you are making a punch? Or some sangria? Or you just want to give that OJ some pizazz at your next breakfast. Plop the core down into the mix and let it hang out. It’ll give your drink some extra pineapple flavor! Plus if the core is still frozen it will help keep the drink cold and delicious.
The core is easy to cut up into more manageable pieces. You can cube it and then freeze it. Use instead of ice cubes. We’ve talked before about how frozen fruit makes great additions to drinks and pineapple core can be used just the same!
It can also be tossed in with a marinade to bring some zip and tang to the dish.
Pineapple core can be handy! And once we start using it in different applications we won’t feel like we’re tossing half the pineapple away once it’s cut up!
Clean and pure
Wow, great tips for using the pineapple core. i really like the idea of turning them into ice cubes. I have been on a major pineapple kicking, eating one or two per week, and I hate throwing the core away!
Thanks for the tips! I usually throw it away!
Good tips. Did you know if you settle the top in soil it will grow into a plant? It’s a tropical houseplant and I’ve never gotten one to fruit (or even flower) but it has cool spiky foliage.
ooh, great ideas! I should definitely keep it.
Loving these ideas! I’m going to freeze them next time. Although, I’m finding it tough to buy pineapples now that we’ve had them local and fresh in Brazil. There, the issue of the core is non-existent. It is much softer and eaten regularly.
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I love the idea of keeping the core because it tooooootally bugs me that I am throwing away so much!
such great ideas! I normally just nibble on it for awhile and then toss it but I’m going to start doing this!
I love the idea of freezing it and using it as icecubes. I have never thought of that. But I bet a yummy sangria drink with pineapple would be amazing. Great tiP! And I agree that fresh pineapple is WAY better than canned.
I love the core! I also eat the core to apples and pears. Not sure why people neglect this part of the fruit. It’s still just as tasty in my opinion.
Diced pineapple core – even better than frozen diced onions, huh! We eat as much of the core and pineapple as we can, but this would make great long frozen sticks to put in your glass of juice.
Great ideas. I never did know what to do with the leftover cores except tossing them in the compost bin.