The pinapple called my name....
- Thread starter Altricious
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Went shopping today. The pineapples were decidedly greener than last time, but I got two anyway. (I passed on the one that must have been left from last time because it had passed ripe and moved on to shriveling and brown.) So, I think the second batch is still going to have to wait because I'd like to let the pineapple sit until it's got a little more color.
The fermenting batch is chugging away. Looked like it passed the halfway mark yesterday, but with the fruit it's harder to measure. I can definitely smell and taste the pineapple and ginger.
Hopefully, the pineapples I bought will be ready when the primary looks finished so I can rack onto a half plus a little more ginger.
The fermenting batch is chugging away. Looked like it passed the halfway mark yesterday, but with the fruit it's harder to measure. I can definitely smell and taste the pineapple and ginger.
Hopefully, the pineapples I bought will be ready when the primary looks finished so I can rack onto a half plus a little more ginger.
Well, I did the second one around noon today. I cut the pineapple in slices 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick, then seared them (both sides) in a pan until they were golden. The pineapple was thoroughly cooked through when I finished. When I blended it up, it was about half the volume of the raw equivalent. I used the exact same ingredients otherwise.
There's a few obvious differences already. The raw one has been a bright pineapple yellow from day one. This one is a rich amber. It also looks like there isn't going to be much of a fruit pack on top of the cooked one. The raw one constantly had an inch or two of pineapple on top that I constantly had to turn back into the must. (At this point it's starting to lessen.) In the cooked one, there's a lot less pulpy pineapple because of the cooking and it seems not to be rising to the top as much.
I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.
There's a few obvious differences already. The raw one has been a bright pineapple yellow from day one. This one is a rich amber. It also looks like there isn't going to be much of a fruit pack on top of the cooked one. The raw one constantly had an inch or two of pineapple on top that I constantly had to turn back into the must. (At this point it's starting to lessen.) In the cooked one, there's a lot less pulpy pineapple because of the cooking and it seems not to be rising to the top as much.
I'll try to take a picture tomorrow.
When it comes to pineapples there are only two kinds to buy:
- Fly to Maui (not the best of the islands but they grow a lot of pineapple) then find a fruit seller who will usually have ripe fresh fruits. You don't go to the store even in Hawaii ... stores only have unripened fruit. The best sweetest pineapple are hard to find and reserved for the best restaurants and high end stores ... and local some local vendors.
- Find a local store in your area that sells Costa Rican pineapples. These are also sweet as candy. They are a smaller variety and very sweet.
Everything else is pretty much highly acidic crap. The pineapple trucks on Maui are freaking huge - like super-duper dump trucks. They barely fit on the roads. In the front of each huge huge dump bin is a basket the size of a large shopping cart. In that basket are the vine ripened super sweet fruit. Everything else is suitable for canning (lots of sugar added) or shipping around the world.
- Fly to Maui (not the best of the islands but they grow a lot of pineapple) then find a fruit seller who will usually have ripe fresh fruits. You don't go to the store even in Hawaii ... stores only have unripened fruit. The best sweetest pineapple are hard to find and reserved for the best restaurants and high end stores ... and local some local vendors.
- Find a local store in your area that sells Costa Rican pineapples. These are also sweet as candy. They are a smaller variety and very sweet.
Everything else is pretty much highly acidic crap. The pineapple trucks on Maui are freaking huge - like super-duper dump trucks. They barely fit on the roads. In the front of each huge huge dump bin is a basket the size of a large shopping cart. In that basket are the vine ripened super sweet fruit. Everything else is suitable for canning (lots of sugar added) or shipping around the world.
Well, none of that is really an option. If you can afford to fly to Maui for your pineapples, good for you, but that's a bit beyond my means. I also don't live anywhere where I would find anything other than the boring normal pineapples.
You did forget the 3rd option. You can always grow your own pineapples at home as a houseplant. Then you can let them fully ripen on the plant and be 100 times better, or so I'm told. The only problem there is that they're a pain to get started, they take forever to grow, and they're obnoxiously sized plants compared to what you get from them. So, also not on my list of things to actually do.
Damn you people! Stop giving me ideas, I've already got more on my to-do list than I can make!
Bwaaaaa! Another to-do lister!
Damn you people! Stop giving me ideas, I've already got more on my to-do list than I can make!
The to-do list is why I love 1 gallon carboys and 2 gallon buckets.
Mmmm... Pineapple mead...
Damn you people! Stop giving me ideas, I've already got more on my to-do list than I can make!
Now I need to make a plain pineapple mead as well as a super-caramelised one and compare
How do you think I feel? I was going to make one gallon of pineapple and one of something else (probably black raspberry) because that's how much honey I had on hand.
Now, I've got two pineapples going for comparison AND a 60 lb bucket of honey on order.
I haven't really started a list though. Not for mead recipes anyway. My current list is "Things to plant for the new beehive and for fruit I might make mead out of"
Yes, I have found myself starting beekeeping as well.
30 years ago, my parent had 6+ acres of red raspberries. We took them to the farmer's market and operated a very popular u-pick business. For years, Dad talked about getting bees. If he had had any clue that a varietal honey would have been marketable like that, it wouldn't have been just talk.
Now, of course, the berries are long gone and we're all living in new places.
BTW, do you know how much f#$@*%g work that many acres of raspberries are?
Back to the mead, I think you'll find a wonderful difference in flavor between the two recipes. One will be like eating the fruit, one with something like a caramel coated pineapple.
Plus, you can always blend the two for an even more complex mead!
You might also consider making a brochet with pineapple if you prefer the second batch. Just my $0.02.
Plus, you can always blend the two for an even more complex mead!
You might also consider making a brochet with pineapple if you prefer the second batch. Just my $0.02.
I'm guessing a lot of work, but I don't have to do it
The apiary I get honey from haven't leased their bees to a Raspberry producer in a few years so I've only been able to get small amounts of my favorite honey.
Well, if you don't mind getting non-local raw honey, the folks over at Flying Bee Ranch have a wonderful raspberry honey. And if you buy at least two 6 lbs jugs, it works out to ~$3.60/lb. Their website says only 2 can fit in the shipping boxes, but in my last order they fit in 3, so I'd inquire about that...because then it works out to ~$3.30/lb.
Worth checking out, if you haven't already.
I prefer local, because well it supports local and is usually much cheaper since shipping is not involved. I have mail-ordered many times (we don't grow Oranges in Michigan so obviously I can't get local Orange Blossom honey) when I need to and those prices, though obviously higher, doesn't seem to bad so looks like I'll need to place an order on payday.
You might also consider making a brochet with pineapple if you prefer the second batch. Just my $0.02.
noooooooo!!!! stop saying things!
I started a Pineapple Mead a few days ago. It went volcano on me. Leave plenty of head space for the first few days.
