When buying pineapples these are the main things you need to remember:
1. Fresh pineapple should have a firm, hard shell. If the shell is soft in any area then the pineapple is not good and should not be purchased.
2. The “eyes” of the pineapple shell should not be watering. If there is liquid leaking from the eyes, this indicates that the pineapple is past its prime and should not be purchased.
3. Unlike bananas, pineapples stop ripening the moment that they are picked. While pineapples will change color, this is evidence that the pineapple is going bad, not ripening. A good pineapple will be bright with a uniform color.
4. The only place you want to see a different color on a pineapple is at the bottom. A yellowish base indicates that the pineapple was picked when the sugar inside it had developed so that it will be sweet.
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While I was in Fiji, I was told another trick for picking good pineapple – if you can easily remove one of the top leaves, it is ripe. They also taught me that there is nothing wrong with eating the core. I would not eat just the core but when Pineapples are sectioned lengthwise, it is good.