Caribbean Compass Yachting Magazine 2015

SEPTEMBER 2015 CARIBBEAN COMPASS PAGE 30
LOOK OUT FOR…
A Peek at the Pineapple
by Lynn Kaak
As you travel through the Caribbean,
every month there’s something special
to look out for. The pineapple (ananas
comosus), while often associated with
Hawaii and the Pacific, is actually
native to South America. The indigenous
peoples of the Caribbean carried
and propagated this fruit throughout
the islands of the Caribbean, where the
plants continued to flourish. Eventually
the Europeans stumbled upon this
delicious fruit (some say Columbus
encountered it in Guadeloupe in 1493)
and took it to the Pacific.
The scientific name is derived from the
Tupi word for the fruit, nanas, which
means “excellent fruit”. “Comosus”
means tufted, referring to its spiky
crown. Many languages including
French adopted the name “ananas” for
the fruit. The name “pine apple” is
derived from a bit of mistaken identity,
as the Europeans thought that the fruit
resembled a pinecone. The Spanish simply
call it “piña”, and you’ll hear some
folks on the English-speaking islands
also call them “pines”.
The pineapple is a bromeliad, making
it part of a group of plants that originated almost exclusively in the Americas;
Spanish moss is a bromeliad, too.
The pineapple plant itself has a short stalk and large spiky, waxy leaves, and can
attain heights of 1.5 metres (five feet). The plant actually looks quite a bit like the top
of a pineapple. The 200 or so flowers that are produced join together into what will
eventually become the fruit. The ovaries of the flowers turn into berries, which then
coalesce into the flesh that we know of. This fruit grows from the stem, getting taller
and wider with time.
The succulent fruit grows best where the temperatures are 20°C to 30°C (70°F to
85°F), and requires a moderate amount of water, although the plant is able to retain
some moisture in its leaves. Pineapples also love sunshine. It takes roughly 12 to 20
months for a new plant to get to the point that it creates flowers, and six months
more before the first fruit ripen. The first fruit from each plant tend to be small, but
they become progressively larger over the next couple of years of fruit bearing. Small
offshoot growths, called suckers, are also created, and may be removed and replanted,
or left on the plant to create more fruit. A plant can also be started by cutting the
top off the fruit and planting it.
The fruit and plant are good sources of bromelain, a natural meat tenderizer, and
the fruit is considered a natural anti-inflammatory. The qualities that make it a good
meat tenderizer also make pineapple more difficult to work with in gelatins and jams.
Once picked, a pineapple will not become riper, so saving it a few more days after
purchase won’t make any difference in taste; however, it may start to perish. It
should be okay for about two days without refrigerating or about a week if you put
it in the cooler.
Now, piña coladas anyone?
COMPASS
O
M
I
C
EASY-PEASY
ONBOARD
ENTERTAINING
Entertaining guests on board should
never be onerous. As a matter of fact, it
should be just the opposite. It should be
enjoyable for both guests and hosts.
I would often get trapped into thinking
that the most elaborate recipes — taking
much time, effort and expense — were By Ross Mavis
necessary. My wife, however, being much
more intelligent than I, would tell me to ease my mainsheet. “You don’t need to
impress people with your culinary talents,” she wisely would counsel. “Our guests
are here to visit with us first and foremost and any food and drink is an added treat.”
Only after getting much older and should I say, somewhat wiser, my entertaining
efforts have been put “in irons” — and the guests don’t seem to mind. Simple and
succulent, inexpensive and less time-intensive snacks will be met with much favor.
The other evening, we had a few unexpected folks on deck for some cold beverages
and light snacks. The gathering was fun for all and couldn’t have been easier. My
wife opened a couple of tins of smoked oysters and smoked mussels, spread some
lightly toasted rye bread squares with mayonnaise and put an oyster or mussel on
each piece, adding a sprinkle of chopped fresh herbs from our potted deck garden
and voila, finger food fit for royalty.
When making a Thai dish for my wife and myself, I toast some extra sesame seeds
and store them in a jar. Then, with little more than the always-handy peanut butter
and commercial sweet chili sauce we keep on board, I’m ready to turn leftover cooked
chicken or beef bites into a finger food fiesta. A box of simple commercial whole grain
crackers lightly spread with peanut butter, topped with cooked chicken or beef,
drizzled with sweet chili sauce and enhanced with a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds
will bring guests to their feet with shouts of olé!
Dishes of pickles, cheese chunks, nuts and chips can be added to round off any
modest offering. Cold beverages offered to quench one’s thirst and your entertaining
success is guaranteed. Nothing could be easier. If I had only learned this many years
ago, I could now have been living aboard a much larger yacht. I’m sure I wouldn‘t be
any happier, however.
This weekend we are going to a party onshore and here is what we will take as an
appetizer: a packet of sliced ham, spread with cream cheese and wrapped around
pickles and stuffed olives. Once these rolls have chilled slightly in the icebox we will
slice them into finger-size bites. They, like us, are always well received.
So if the next occasion to welcome guests on board has you in a turmoil, remember
“easy-peasy”, “Bob’s your uncle” or any other catch phrase that will put your mind into
simplicity mode for onboard entertaining. I know you will get kudos from your guests.
BILL & BOB THOMAS
S
MICK STEVENS