Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Have a Pineapple

 


Good morning and welcome!

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It's been a long time since I've sewn a quilt and used the pineapple pattern.

Alice Brooks, 1940


St. Louis Dispatch, 1933


Aunt Matilda, 1932:


Contrary to what Aunt Matilda wrote (that it was one of the oldest quilt pattern) I doubted it went back to the colonial era of quilting.  Sure enough, I found this article from Barbara Brackman that indicated it was used after the 1870s.

My cousin's lately culinary debacle got me thinking of the quilt pattern.  She is in her 20s and was making Easter dinner for the family.  She decided since she had fresh pineapple in her fridge, to adorn the ham she was baking with the fruit.

It surprised when the ham had reduced to what the family referred to as "mere mush."  As it turns out, fresh pineapple on meat will do this.  There is an enzyme in pineapple called bromelain that breaks down the meat until it is mush.

I never heard of this but always used canned pineapple on my ham.  The canning process cleans out the bromelain.

So there it is--your cooking tip of the week-- pineapple is a welcome fruit, just not fresh pineapple on your meat.

Have a good day!







3 comments:

  1. I never knew this! I always use canned pineapple too. You all have a great story to share now. I started piecing pineapple blocks at retreat earlier this month. They are very time consuming!

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  2. Wow I've never heard that before!

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  3. I have not heard of that either and I suppose because we certainly never had fresh pineapple, only tinned, avoided that issue. Who knew!

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