Pineapple is kind of a big deal at my house- it's my absolute favorite fruit (my youth church leaders gave me a pineapple for my 18th birthday because I love it so much), and my husband and children love it almost as much as I do! ;) When I had to do a 3 hour blood draw and fast with my 4th pregnancy, the first thing I did afterwards was go to the store and buy a big tub of pre-cut pineapple- I don't know if anything has ever tasted so good! We're also big fans of the TV Show Psych, which just encourages my love for pineapple even more!

With that said, you'd think I would be a pro at picking the perfect pineapple. Sadly, that is absolutely not the case. I have let too many pineapples go bad because I don't cut them in their prime, or I get a pineapple that's just not sweet enough. While I know a couple hearsay tricks, I needed a little more help, and here is what I've learned!

The first thing to pay attention to is the color! That beautiful golden color you picture when you think of pineapple? That's what you're going for. A green pineapple is going to be underripe, while orange means it's a little too ripe. Sometimes you'll see gold at the bottom and green at the top, but the ideal is when you get that beautiful gold color through the whole pineapple. It's best to find a ripe pineapple because even if you find a green one and take it home, pineapple actually won't get much riper once they've been picked!

You'll also want to pay attention to how the pineapple feels. A rock hard pineapple is underripe and not sweet- but one that gives very slightly when you push it is going to be sweet and tender! (Just make sure it's not too soft- a sure sign it's overripe).

The last thing to pay attention to is the smell. If it looks ripe and you can smell a sweet fruity smell, you've found yourself the winner! But if it smells vinegary and fermented- it's too ripe. You'll want to smell the bottom of the pineapple, not the leaves.

I have always heard that with a ripe pineapple, you should be able to easily pull out the inner leaves. However, this doesn't seem to always be the most reliable method (in my own personal experience), and this is actually an old wive's tale, so you can decide if it's something you trust or not.

My mom always told me that you should store your pineapple on the counter upside down because it helps the sugar and juices to spread evenly through the fruit instead of pooling at the bottom. There's not really research to back this up, but it certainly hasn't hurt when I've tried it!

Now you know how to pick the perfect pineapple. Next time you go to the store go find yourself a good one to enjoy!

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