Showing off my backyard pineapple harvest.

Spiny on the outside, sweet on the inside, pineapples are one fantastic fruit. 

Pineapples are a delicious tropical fruit that have been celebrated for centuries not only for their distinct and unique taste, but also for their seemingly miraculous health benefits.

I absolutely love pineapples, and was thrilled that I was able to harvest so many this summer.  In addition to the fact that I love them, is the fact that they also help with reducing the inflammation that I deal with due to chronic illness, lupus, specifically.  I am sue it also helps with illness in general.

I planted my first pineapple plant about 3 years ago.  I now have close to 15, maybe more.  Recently, I also acquired a few more from a neigh or who was throwing some out.  I happened to see them at the side of the road as the neighbor was returning with some other plants to discard.  I mentioned that I would love to take them.  I still have to do some pruning of that bunch that I received, but I am sure that there are at least 10 plants in the grouping, some of which are at least 2 years old, which means that next year my harvest should be even larger.

Pineapples are members of the bromeliad family, and one of the few bromeliads to produce edible fruit, according to the biology department at Union County College. The fruit is actually made of many individual berries that fuse together around a central core. Each pineapple scale is an individual berry.

I love the fact that pineapples do not require much maintenance, if any.  I can't remember the last time that I even watered them.  They get watered when it rains.  I've acquired many pups, as they propagate just like a bromeliad does (seeing that it is in the same family).

Pineapples’ nutritional benefits are as fascinating as their anatomy. 

Pineapples are a storehouse of huge health benefits due to its wealth of nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, including 

• potassium,
•  copper,
•  manganese,
• calcium,
•  magnesium, 
• vitamin C, 
• beta carotene, 
•  thiamin, 
• B6, 
• folate, 
• soluble and insoluble fiber, 
• bromelain.

Their health and medicinal benefits include their ability to:

•  improve respiratory health,
•  cure coughs and colds,
•  improve digestion,
•  help you lose weight, 
• strengthen bones,
•  improve oral health, 
• boost eye health,
•  reduce inflammation, 
• prevent cancer,
•  improve heart health,
•  fight off infections and parasites,
•  improve the immune system 
• increase circulation.

Pineapples are very easy to grow, and I am so happy about that as someone with any type of chronic illness will have challenges dealing with a high maintenance plant or garden.

Follow these easy steps to get your pineapple plant started:

Step 1: Buy Fresh Pineapple. ...
Step 2: Slice Off Pineapple Crown. ...
Step 3: Remove Leaves from Stalk. ...
Step 4: Allow Stalk to Dry. ...
Step 5: Plant Pineapple Stalk. ...
Step 6: Water Pineapple Stalk. ...
Step 7: Wait for Pineapple to Root. ...
Step 8: Repot Pineapple Plant.

There are also numerous sites that will show you step by step how to grow a pineapple after you've bought one from the store.