Do you love pineapples? If so, you’d surely love to buy and keep a lot of them so that you can have enough to last for a while.
However, pineapples will spoil quickly, especially if you do not keep them properly.
How long do pineapples last and what can you do to help them last for a longer time? Read this article to find out.
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How Long Does Pineapple Last?
When pineapples are ripe but uncut, they can last for up to three days when you leave them on the countertop.
However, they can stay edible for up to five days when stored in a fridge.
There are other methods of storing these sweet fruits if you want them to last longer. For example, pineapples can stay good for three or more months when you dehydrate them.
As you can see, the pineapple’s shelf life depends on your storage technique.
It also depends on other factors such as temperature, light exposure, humidity, and your manner of handling the fruits.
If you handle your pineapples with care and don’t give them bruises while transporting them from the store to your home, they will last longer.
Also, pineapples that are not ripe will last longer than the ripe ones.
How to Store Pineapples So They Can Last Longer
With the following tips, you can keep your pineapples in a good state for a long time.
1. Start by Selecting the Best Pineapple From the Store
If you intend to buy a lot of pineapples and store some for a long time, select the best pineapples available
Unlike other fruits, pineapples do not ripen when you remove them from the plant.
This means that you cannot buy unripe pineapples and store them so that they can last for a long time.
However, you can choose the firm (yet ripe) ones. Don’t buy and store overripe pineapples, as they will spoil quickly.
When you are in the store, select ripe but not too ripe pineapples. The more orange a pineapple is (in color), the riper it is. The greener the fruit, the less ripe it is.
You can also tell how ripe the pineapple is by squeezing it, as overripe pineapples will bruise easily. If you can, judge the fruit by its weight as well, as ripe pineapples are heavier than they look.
Buy a mix of pineapples so that you can eat the overripe and very sweet fruits then store the less ripened fruits for later.
2. Leave Them on a Countertop
The least-stressful way to keep your pineapples is by doing nothing with them. Just keep them on a countertop or in a cool and dry room and you are good to go.
However, the problem with this method is that your fruits are exposed to natural elements such as temperature and humidity, so the fruits will spoil in a few days.
If you want the fruits to last for a longer time, ensure that the room is cooler and less humid than usual. You can store the fruits in a basement.
Don’t wash your pineapples before you store them, just keep them exactly the way you brought them from the store. Even if you harvested them by yourself, keep them as they are.
3. Keep Them in a Fridge
You can help your pineapples last longer when you keep them in a fridge. Rinse them properly and then store them in the fruit section of the fridge.
If there are other fruits in the fridge, arrange them properly and keep the sliced ones far from your pineapples.
If you like, you can keep your pineapples in an airtight bowl and then place the bowl anywhere in the fridge.
To help your pineapples last longer, wrap them in plastic wrap before keeping them in the fridge. This wrap will prevent moisture from leaving or reaching the pineapples.
You can also keep your sliced pineapples in the fridge by using the wrap, as it prevents them from spoiling quickly.
4. Keep Them in a Freezer
Freezing is another awesome way to store pineapples for an even longer time. However, the method of freezing your pineapples is different from that of refrigerating them.
To freeze your pineapples, follow these steps:
- Cut the fruits into cubes or small pieces.
- Freeze the cubes.
- Place the pineapple cubes in an airtight freezer bag.
- Put them back in the freezer and leave them there until you are ready to eat them.
This method will help make the innermost parts of your pineapples get frozen quickly, so they will last longer, as they are now completely frozen.
5. Dehydrate the Fruits
One of the most effective ways to keep pineapples for a very long time is to dehydrate them. However, your pineapples will not look like the fresh and ripe fruits that you know.
Dehydrating pineapples removes their moisture and helps them to last longer while retaining a very sweet taste.
To dehydrate your fruits, slice them to become at most ¾ inch thick. Keep these flat pineapple pieces in a dehydrator for twelve hours (or slightly more) at 135°F.
When they are dry, keep them in an airtight bag or bowl. Only open the bag or bowl when you want some fruits. Ensure that the fruits stay dry and out of direct sunlight.
How to Know When to Dispose of Your Pineapples
Have you stored your pineapples for a very long time and now you think they are no longer edible?
Here are some things to check for in your pineapples before you conclude whether they are edible or not:
1. Presence of Insects
You aren’t the only one who loves pineapples. Insects do too.
When you see insects around your pineapples, you have kept the fruits outside for too long and it is time to dispose of them.
Aside from the presence of insects telling you that your pineapples have gone bad, insects can also transfer some microbes to your pineapples. Therefore, dispose of pineapples with insects around them.
If you have multiple fruits, check for and remove the ones without insects around them.
2. Presence of Mold
Fungi are some of the microbes that insects transfer to your pineapples. However, fungi can also reach your fruits through the wind.
When your pineapples are moldy, dispose of them, as they are completely inedible. The presence of mold means that the fruits are decaying and no longer safe for you.
You must have kept the fruits outside or exposed for a pretty long time before mold can grow on the skin of the fruits.
If you have other fruits without mold around the moldy ones, wash and eat them quickly so that they do not go bad.
3. Presence of a Foul Smell
Do your pineapples smell bad? Dispose of them quickly.
Fresh pineapples that are safe to eat always have a pleasant smell.
Any pineapple smelling unpleasant isn’t safe for eating, as it has gone bad. Your pineapples will start smelling when they decompose, as the decomposing microbes release toxic gases.
Check other pineapples and fruits in the same room for smelly ones and be sure that they are safe to eat first before you consume them.
4. Presence of Dark Spots in the Flesh
It is quite difficult to find spots in pineapple skin because of its rough and somewhat multicolored nature. However, you can easily find spots in pineapple flesh.
When you slice a pineapple and see spots, the pineapple is going bad. Instead of disposing of your pineapples with spots, you can cut off the bad parts and quickly eat the rest.
If most of the pineapple flesh is discolored and looks bruised, dispose of the fruit.
5. Bitter Taste
When you taste your pineapples and they do not give you that sweet and satisfying flavor, dispose of them, as they are not safe for eating
Aside from spoiling, there are other reasons why your fruits can taste bitter. However, what’s the point of eating pineapples if you cannot enjoy their taste?
Final Thoughts
Pineapples are truly very sweet fruits and now, there’s nothing stopping you from buying a lot. So long as you store your fruits properly, you will have sweet fruits for a long time.
However, ensure that your pineapples are still edible after you keep them for a long time.