Lots of people started their own home gardens during quarantine and grew copious numbers of veggies and herbs, but we bet most of them weren’t growing a pineapple.
Granted, Debbie Loefgren of St. Augustine Beach, Florida, started growing her pineapple well before COVID-19 hit the world, forcing us all to quarantine for months in our homes -- but Loefgren’s precious pineapple was finally ready to be picked, and it became the definition of the saying “fruits of my labor.”
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“Two years ago, my next-door neighbor brought me a fresh pineapple that he had carried home from Hawaii,” Loefgren said. “After eating the freshest pineapple we’ve ever had, I planted the green top in a pot for fun.”
Not knowing if anything would come of planting the top of the pineapple, Loefgren was delighted to find out that after a few months, the pineapple was starting to grow.
Once February of this year hit, Loefgren noticed that a bud was starting to form, so she eventually moved it inside so animals wouldn’t get ahold of it.
“Once COVID arrived, I named my plant my ’Pandemic Pineapple.’ I spent most of the quarantine taking care of my plant and watching its fruit grow and change,” Loefgren said.
By the time July hit, the pineapple was perfectly ripe for Loefgren and her family to enjoy.
Can you guess how they ate it?
“I did bake a pineapple cake and made some epic pina coladas with some of it, but mostly, we just ate it plain,” Loefgren said.
It may have taken 2 1/2 years for the pineapple to grow, but it was worth the wait, Loefgren said.
And of course, she already planted the crown of the pineapple she grew to start the process over again. Stay tuned for an update in 2 1/2 more years. 😉
