The Pineapple Harvest Begins

This past week the annual pineapple harvest has begun in the mountains of Brazil's Ceará state, where I live. Mountain-grown pineapples are considered to be of better quality and to be more delicious than the product that comes from the giant agri-business plantations of the lowlands. The mountain-grown pineapples, which are mostly of a hybrid called perola ("pearl" in English), have lower acidity than the lowland varieties, and are significantly sweeter. According to a recent article in Fortaleza's Diario do Nordeste newspaper, this year's harvest is predicted to be larger than normal, with better yields. The projected yield this year in the mountain plantations is 16,000 pineapples per hectare, average (approximately 32,000 pineapples per acre). The price per pineapple at the plantation is expected to be R$1.00 to R$1.50 ($0.60USD to $0.90USD).

The Brazilian market for the perola pineapple is purely domestic, as the nature of this hybrid does not allow long-term storage or long-distance transportation. The perola pineapple is long and cone-shaped, with sharp spines on the leaves, a greenish rather than yellowish skin, and a whiter flesh than some other varieties. The fruit is best eaten fresh - other varieties of pineapple are better suited to juice production or canning. The season is relatively short and there is only one harvest a year. Fortunately, in a country as large and varied as Brazil, there is always fresh pineapple available - maybe not perola, but something almost as juicy, sweet and satisfying.