Keep in mind that the “bloom” becomes the pineapple. The pineapple will be covered in small blue flowers. If you’re growing your plant from a pineapple top, it can take up to 2 years before a pineapple starts growing.
Pay attention when the fruit is at least 2/3 yellow. The fruit won’t be ready to ripen until the majority of the fruit has turned yellow-orange. At this point, the pineapple is considered mature, though not necessarily ripe. [3] X Research source An overripe fruit will be turning brown or moldy. It may have soft spots on it, too.
Lean down a bit to smell your pineapple. The smell will be strongest at the base. If the fruit is overripe, it will start to have an alcohol-like or fermented fruit smell.
A pineapple may ripen a little after it is harvested if you keep it at room temperature. However, you should not count on this is as the primary method to ripen your pineapple. Let most of the maturing happen on the plant.
You want to keep the pineapple still while you cut it off.
Make sure to leave some stem behind so that the plant can regrow. If you need to, you can use both hands to operate the shears. Just try to catch the pineapple before it falls, as you don’t want to bruise it.
Be careful not to damage other leaves as you are cutting off the pineapple.
Air dry the pineapple on a clean kitchen towel.
Ripe pineapples do best at a temperature of 45 to 55 °F (7 to 13 °C), and the ideal fridge temperature is 36 °F (2 °C). To keep the pineapple a bit warmer, place it in the warmest part of the refrigerator. Use a thermometer to test the temperature in different areas, as models vary. [11] X Research source Pineapples will generally last 3-5 days in the fridge. On the counter, they’ll last 1-3 days. [12] X Research source
To make it last a bit longer, pour a little orange juice over the fruit.
While pineapple will stay safe longer than a year in the freezer, its quality will decline.
