My first pineapple harvest at the home of my dear friend, Chan, in Hawaii. The other day I hacked at a banana tree with a cleaver to fell a full bunch of plantains. Do we need a knife for pineapple?

“No, just twist it off!,” Chan said. I did and it broke free with little effort on my part.

This big boy weighed 5-6 lbs. It’s a white pineapple, a Kaua’i Sugarloaf. The flavor is very sweet, hence the name. We could have left this on the plant for 2 more days but Chan and I could not wait! Pineapple does not ripen further after harvest; you can trim and save the crown to plant a new one!

Try the Sugarloaf if you come across one. We’re eating most raw, dipped in chili pepper salt. Some of the fruit will go into tonight’s canh chua, a southern Việt bouillabaisse (there’s a recipe at my newsletter). Love learning about island living Chan style.