8 Facts About Pineapple

Pineapple Discovery

In 1493, explorer Christopher Columbus found pineapples on Guadeloupe Island in the Caribbean. The fruit is also native to southern Brazil and Paraguay.

Pineapples in Colonial America

American colonists regarded pineapples as a luxurious treat because of their rarity and cost.

Pineapple Anatomy

A pineapple is the result of many flowers whose fruitlets have joined around the core.

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Pineapple Nutrition

Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme that may help arthritis pain by reducing inflammation. They are also a good source of vitamin C, which helps strengthen your immune system.

Pineapples in Hawaii

Historically, Hawaii was the world’s largest pineapple producer and source for U.S. pineapples. Some of the largest pineapple crops were in Hawaii. Today the largest producers include the Philippines, Brazil, and Costa Rica.

Pineapple Selection

Pass over sour-smelling or bruised pineapples. Fruit from Hawaii or Central America tends to be freshest.

Pineapple Care

To make your pineapple softer and juicier, keep it at room temperature for one or two days before cutting.

Pineapple Calories

One cup of pineapple has 70 to 85 calories.

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Tiny House in a Landscape

by Kent Griswold on April 2nd, 2011. 48 CommentsThis weeks Tiny House in a Landscape has a twist…a story, here it is.

..and it is ours!

When the foreclosure crisis first began, my husband and I thought we were safe. We’d purchased our dream home in the Santa Monica mountains, nestled in a canyon between Malibu and Santa Monica in late 2005. We put down a healthy down payment, had a steady income, and planned on living here for the rest of our lives. By mid 2010, the recession caught up to our business and cut our income in half. We applied for two modifications, and were turned down each time by our bank; they also rejected a short sale. After months of reflecting, we decided to pursue a deed in lieu of foreclosure, which is still being processed (and probably will also be rejected, as the bank profits less from this than an outright foreclosure).

We made the decision that whatever we did next would not entail working with a bank or getting a mortgage (made next to impossible by how badly our credit as been damaged, anyway) – so we searched for a piece of land that was for sale by owner at a reasonable price, and stumbled onto the property you see in the photo. About two weeks ago, I found a tiny house for sale by a wonderful man named Jeff; he drove it to the Santa Cruz Mountains from Sebastopol, and we became proud “outright” owners of our very own house. The interior is just one big room, and still needs to be outfitted, which is going to be a lot of fun (and work).  I will keep you updated, and wanted to let you know that this web site and the information you provide has given us so much inspiration to make the move from a 2,000 square foot house to a 130 square foot one! Ultimately, we are going to build a “not so tiny house” of about 800 square feet, but that is down the line…

Thanks again for your work, you are helping to change the world by changing minds about the possibility of doing something like this!

Warmly, Juko