Pineapple

Take a cold fresh glass of ripened pineapple juice in crushed ice. Find a quiet comfortable corner in your home and close your eyes. You will begin to hear the waves of the ocean lapping on the powdered, white shoreline of a tropical island. Above you, the gentle dance of palm leaves moved by hot tropical breezes. Add a pinch of coconut juice and you have been transformed into Robinson Crusoe, living a life of solitude in a tropical paradise.

Pineapple is the taste of the sun-soaked tropics, especially if you find one that was picked in its ripened state. Pineapples are jam-packed with minerals, potassium, choline, sodium, phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, calcium, iron and iodine. They have loads of vitamins including vitamin C and are an excellent source of bromelain, an enzyme that helps digestion. Bromelain has also been known to cure laryngitis and is soothing to the throat.  Learning how to determine a sweet pineapple may take some practice. Your pineapple ought to have a strong, sweet aroma. Look for a large plump, heavy fruit. The leaves should easily pull out. The skin should be a dark golden color. The summer is prime pineapple season because the sun is at its strongest. Jet-shipped or jet-fresh are more expensive but have been flown from the field a day or two before you eat them. The majority of pineapples are shipped by sea and are often months old. Always keep pineapples at room temperature unless cut.

Juicing tips: To cut pineapple for juicing, remove top and bottom. If not organically-grown, stand vertical and remove skin. Cut in slices, including core and pass through the juicer. For eating, cut in quarters and remove core.