The Pineapple Industry has long been making juice from pineapple by-products like shells, cores and ends. At home, we can also stop discarding these pineapple treasures and make a delicious hot or cold beverage.

In the early days of pineapple processing they used to haul these bits out to sea and they often came back in with the tide.

Eventually producers discovered that  using the wastes, as much as 50% of the pineapple, can be of considerable value. Big canneries now shred and press these “wastes” which extracts the juice.

You begin by first twisting the top off the pineapple by hand. Some people cut it off but it seems less formidable to simply twist it off. Save the top for planting in your garden later. Wash the pineapple and then cut off the ends and slice down the sides to remove the shell. Process the heart of the pineapple how you like it.

The Hawaiian white pineapple has a very small core that is often eaten along with the heart of the pineapple.  The yellow pineapples often have a more substantial and fibrous core and this can be used for your juice.

Next, cut up the shell, core and ends into smaller pieces and place into a non-reactive sauce pan along with enough water to cover the pineapple pieces. Cover and boil the pineapple pieces until they become soft. Leave on stove until cool. Once cool, drain off the juice into a jar and use a potato masher and press as much liquid from the pieces as possible and drain into your jar.

For one pineapple, I add about 1/4 cup honey but you can add as much or as little sweetener as you prefer. I also like to boil yellow ginger with my pineapple pieces to give it a spicy aftertaste. You can experiment by adding different fruit, spices or herbs to your juice.

One pineapple makes about a quart of juice.

You can serve either hot or cold. It’s delicious either way but cold it is particularly refreshing for these hot, humid summer days in Hawaii.