We
took a trip out to the pineapple fields of the Dole Plantation, established in 1900
in Wahiawa.
There
are over 28,000 pineapple plants per acre, each planted by hand in soil coloured
red from oxidised iron caused by decomposed volcanic ash.
Once
planted it takes about 20 months for the first fruit and then another 14 or 15
months for the second fruit. After
either two crops in 4 years or 3 crops in 5 years the field is knocked down and
the cycle starts all over again.
Pineapples
come in all different shapes, sizes and colours and have incredibly long leaves
with sharp serrated edges.
The
pineapples are also harvested by hand and then loaded onto a conveyor that takes
the fruit to a bulk bin. About 80% of
the pineapples are sold as fresh and the rest as chilled or turned into juice.
We
took a trip through the pineapple fields on the Pineapple Express,
looking across Tanada Reservoir towards the mountains.
There
are some interesting and unusual things for sale in the shop, mostly they’re
pineapple inspired things, but one that made us smile was macadamia nuts with
spam, can’t imagine what they must taste like!
Individual
pineapples or boxes of pineapples are available to buy, they’re packed into
special boxes and when you leave the island you’re checked by the Agricultural
Department and if your pineapple isn’t properly packed you won’t be taking it
anywhere.
We
ate lots of truly delicious fresh pineapple while we were on Oahu, and were quite
tempted to bring some home with us, but as weren’t at all sure whether or not
we were allowed to bring them into the UK we decided against it.
Have
fun, we are!