They say southerners use all the parts of the pig except the "oink!", so imagine my dismay when my husband informed me he'd cut all the meat off the ham bone and given the bone to the dog as a "treat". My visions of homemade split pea soup (my favorite), evaporated in an instant and I wanted to kill aforementioned husband. The ham was leftover from Easter, so we are eating ham a million different ways this week. I also got a lovely pineapple from Cotsco and, as is my way, I am using all parts of it. First, I cut the top off, and saved it for re-planting. Then I cut the skin off, to be slow-dried in the oven and used on the grill, to impart extra flavor to cooking meat. After you cut off the top of the pineapple, you let it dry out for at least seven days (in a dry place out of full sun) and then plant it. The instructions I read in the paper said to plant it in a container (to prevent disease), but I talked to someone from the rare fruit group at the Coral Gables Farmer's market and he said if you plant it in the ground, you should have a fruit within 8 months, vs. the year and a half I had been waiting. If you can, plant the dried out top in sandy soil, if not add a little sand to your soil and bury the bottom few leaves. In two weeks it should develop roots. It needs barely moist soil, so water once a week and mist the leaves. Fertilize four times a year and make sure it gets plenty of sun. I am still waiting for mine to sprout fruit, but something has formed in the middle (a flower), so I am excited.
No comments:
Post a Comment