Author Topic: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples  (Read 37588 times)

simon_grow

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Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« on: May 02, 2017, 05:08:58 PM »
About 2 weeks ago, I ordered some Kauai White Sugarloaf pineapples from this site https://kauaisugarloaf.com

It was extremely easy to use the site and the best thing is that they can actually ship the fruit to your door. Jude seems to be a very friendly person from her videos and appears to have a passion for growing these fruit.

From what I've been able to gather on the internet, the pineapples are sweetest when they are grown in the heat so these early pineapples can probably get much sweeter if harvested later in the year.

The pineapples are quite expensive but for us fruit snobs, I'm sure there will be more than a few of us out here that feel it is worth the price. I think about it this way, by ordering the fruit, I can sample for myself how good or bad the quality is before I spend 2-3 years attempting to grow the fruit.

Also, for those of us growing the White Jade Pineapple, I think it was Fang, mentioned that the White Jade is a White Sugarloaf that was selected for not having sharp spines. By ordering this fruit, I'm basically able to sample the White Jade without having to wait 2-3 years.

I have not cut into the fruit yet, I'm going to try to wait until my wife and kids get home, but I'll definitely post some pictures, give a taste report and a Brix reading.

Here's a video of the farm and pineapples in the field
! No longer available

Here are some pictures of the fruit. I believe they intentionally ship the fruit upside down so that the bottom of the fruit does not get damaged. The top leafy portion got a bit squashed but they are still perfectly fine as planting material.






« Last Edit: May 02, 2017, 05:55:05 PM by murahilin »

bsbullie

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #1 on: May 02, 2017, 05:36:58 PM »
Damn you, Simon... lol
- Rob

Evildeadguy

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #2 on: May 02, 2017, 05:46:27 PM »
Hey that's where i got my Kauai white sugarloaf pineapples from.... yeah you are right jude is a great person she was even nice enough to send with my pineapples some suckers and slips cause she told me over emails that alot of times they have to break the crowns to fit them in the box... but anyways hope you enjoy them i know i sure did when i first got them i  ordered 6 of them :) yeah your right its not cheap but well worth the cost

Photo of Mine that i got

« Last Edit: May 02, 2017, 06:59:36 PM by Evildeadguy »
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FrankDrebinOfFruits

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #3 on: May 02, 2017, 05:57:56 PM »
At the local market they sell the pineapple as a frozen treat. They freeze them and put them through a processor.  Stuff is pretty dang good.

fruitlovers

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #4 on: May 02, 2017, 10:23:12 PM »
Glad you're able to try the sugarloaf Simon. But that fruit looks really under ripe (green). When well ripened the fruits turn almost orange on the exterior.
BTW, i don't think there is a Kauai sugarloaf, a Kona sugraloaf, etc. Every place that grows them seems to add their location name, But they are all really the same (i think).
Oscar

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #5 on: May 02, 2017, 11:13:20 PM »
the thing is about White pineapple like SugarLoaf its best to pick them when its still green and the eyes have yellow dots in the center of the eyes. if you let a sugarloaf fully ripen on the plant turning orange its most likely its turned bad that's why growers don't sale them would wide anymore cause they don't ship well cause they seem  to rot more easy if you grow a sugarloaf and let it fully ripen on the plant most times when you do cut into it you will notice black spots inside the white flesh is a sign of the pineapple starting to rot.... yellow pineapples can let ripen on the plant they dont go bad as easy
« Last Edit: May 02, 2017, 11:18:14 PM by Evildeadguy »
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bsbullie

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #6 on: May 02, 2017, 11:28:21 PM »
the thing is about White pineapple like SugarLoaf its best to pick them when its still green and the eyes have yellow dots in the center of the eyes. if you let a sugarloaf fully ripen on the plant turning orange its most likely its turned bad that's why growers don't sale them would wide anymore cause they don't ship well cause they seem  to rot more easy if you grow a sugarloaf and let it fully ripen on the plant most times when you do cut into it you will notice black spots inside the white flesh is a sign of the pineapple starting to rot.... yellow pineapples can let ripen on the plant they dont go bad as easy

A little punctuation would make your post easier to read. 

Of course they are picked at a greener stage for shipping, what choice do they have?  This is true for most fruit being shipped as most would not survive shipping at peak ripeness. 

I dont think any pineapple is at its best picked underripe for optimal eating (or really any fruit for that matter).  The only option is to grow it yourself.
« Last Edit: May 03, 2017, 02:40:30 AM by bsbullie »
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simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #7 on: May 02, 2017, 11:33:45 PM »
Just so you guys/gals know, everyone that's replied is probably a Pineapple snob, lol.

Rob, better order yours quick, there is a 2-3 week backlog on their fruit.

Evil dead guy, the fruit was amazing and I'll definitely order more. If you order three fruit, you can save on shipping and it comes out to $37.50/pineapple and that includes shipping.

Frankdrebinoffruits, I saw a YouTube video of that frozen White Sugarloaf put through an omega slow auger juicer with a blank plate to make a sort of sorbet out of nothing except pure frozen pineapples. I'll try that with my next order or when my plants fruit.

Oscar, thanks for recommending this variety! It was amazing. I believe you are correct with the naming because I'm now growing San Diego White Sugarloaf, lol!

In the video I posted above, Jude shows how she selects for a properly ripened fruit but I'm wondering if she's purposely selecting fruit with lots of green but with yellow eyes all the way up to the top in order to allow the fruit to have some acid to balance the high sugars?

In another video, Bill Merril shows off his White Pineapples but he lets his get completely yellow. I bet they will be even sweeter if allowed to get that yellow but they probably won't be shipable.

Taste report to follow.

Simkn






simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #8 on: May 02, 2017, 11:39:51 PM »
Whoops, here's Bills video
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« Last Edit: May 03, 2017, 10:30:02 AM by murahilin »

simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #9 on: May 02, 2017, 11:56:38 PM »
Okay, here's the taste report. Basically, it's the best pineapple I've ever had. As you can see in the pictures I posted, the fruit is mostly green with yellow eyes as Jude explains in the video. I'm sure it will get much sweeter if allowed to turn yellow but any handling will probably cause bruising to the point of non edibility.

The fruit didn't have much smell to it and the instructions said it is ready to eat so I cut it open to reveal the beautiful white flesh. I took a piece of fruit from the top of the pineapple and the first thing that I noticed was the acidity because I wasn't expecting any. The acidity was less than your typical yellow pineapple but it was still noticeable. After the acidity, I noticed the sweetness and and the most delicious creamy vanilla like flavor. The vanilla note is very subtle but gave this pineapple an amazing luscious creamy flavor.

I hear a lot about the edible core of this variety so I cut a piece of the core to sample and OMG, it was amazing and very sweet with almost no acidity. I think I may like the core even more than the fruit!

I took several Brix readings and they were all over the place depending on where I sampled. The lowest Brix was 16% at the top outside of the fruit. Half way up the fruit at the core, the Brix was 18%. The bottom of the fruit had a Brix of just over 19%. 

Here are some pictures





Simon

simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #10 on: May 03, 2017, 12:13:35 AM »
If you look closely at the bottom most picture with the fruit cut open, you can see a small yellowish white bruised area. This fruit was picked mostly green and it still got this little bit of bruising so I'm really starting to guess that these fruit are purposely picked slightly early in order to avoid the fruit bruising and rotting.

This is actually good news for us fruit growers because that means we can get even sweeter fruit from our own home grown White Pineapple plants. If these fruit tastes this good when mostly green, I can only imagine how good it will taste if picked fully yellow like the ones in Bills video.

For anyone that orders these fruit, don't throw away your tops. Twist them off, let them dry a couple days then peel off some of the bottom leaves and stick in acidic soil. You should get a fruit in 2-4 years depending on your climate and growing conditions.



Simon

fruitlovers

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #11 on: May 03, 2017, 01:51:17 AM »
the thing is about White pineapple like SugarLoaf its best to pick them when its still green and the eyes have yellow dots in the center of the eyes. if you let a sugarloaf fully ripen on the plant turning orange its most likely its turned bad that's why growers don't sale them would wide anymore cause they don't ship well cause they seem  to rot more easy if you grow a sugarloaf and let it fully ripen on the plant most times when you do cut into it you will notice black spots inside the white flesh is a sign of the pineapple starting to rot.... yellow pineapples can let ripen on the plant they dont go bad as easy
I pick mine all ripe, and never had any black spots. Actually biggest problem in letting them get very ripe is that the rats like them too!
Yes ofcourse they ship better green, but don't taste very good green, that was my point.
Oscar

Evildeadguy

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #12 on: May 03, 2017, 09:59:26 AM »
Just so you guys/gals know, everyone that's replied is probably a Pineapple snob, lol.

Rob, better order yours quick, there is a 2-3 week backlog on their fruit.

Evil dead guy, the fruit was amazing and I'll definitely order more. If you order three fruit, you can save on shipping and it comes out to $37.50/pineapple and that includes shipping.

Frankdrebinoffruits, I saw a YouTube video of that frozen White Sugarloaf put through an omega slow auger juicer with a blank plate to make a sort of sorbet out of nothing except pure frozen pineapples. I'll try that with my next order or when my plants fruit.

Oscar, thanks for recommending this variety! It was amazing. I believe you are correct with the naming because I'm now growing San Diego White Sugarloaf, lol!

In the video I posted above, Jude shows how she selects for a properly ripened fruit but I'm wondering if she's purposely selecting fruit with lots of green but with yellow eyes all the way up to the top in order to allow the fruit to have some acid to balance the high sugars?

In another video, Bill Merril shows off his White Pineapples but he lets his get completely yellow. I bet they will be even sweeter if allowed to get that yellow but they probably won't be shipable.

Taste report to follow.

Simkn

Thanks i will keep that in mind if i ever plan to order more i will get 3 next time... but probably won't need to now that i'm growing my own..

I'm Glad you Enjoyed them to and hope your crowns turn into some great plants over time :)
Pineapples i Grow: Natal Queen

simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #13 on: May 06, 2017, 10:54:26 PM »
I opened up my second white Sugarloaf, this pineapple is super delicious.








Simon

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #14 on: May 07, 2017, 02:02:29 AM »
Did you try eating the core? Even the core is soft and edible on this cultivar.
Oscar

simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #15 on: May 07, 2017, 08:32:22 AM »
Yes, the core is soft and super delicious. The core tastes sweeter and has less acidity than the flesh. I'm going to fill in all the gaps in my garden with white Pineapples now.

I think Pineapples seem so mundane that people don't consider them a top tier fruit but tasting the White Sugarloaf has definitely changed my mind. The plants are aesthetically appealing, especially when in bloom and the plants holding fruit are a great conversation piece in the garden which lasts upwards of 6 months. The ripe fruit acts as an indoor air freshener and gives the grower free aromatherapy before the fruit is harvested for its amazingly sweet and well balanced exotic tropical flavor and the fruit has enzymes that help break down proteins. What's not to like about Pineapples besides the thorns?

Simon

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #16 on: May 07, 2017, 03:45:44 PM »
the tops and slips and suckers i received when i ordered mine are doing great so far i can't wait to see how they turn out i will
take a photo of them sometime soon and post it on here

Out of all the Varieties i grow i plan to keep growing Kauai Sugarloaf pineapple
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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #17 on: May 07, 2017, 04:35:13 PM »
Yes, the core is soft and super delicious. The core tastes sweeter and has less acidity than the flesh. I'm going to fill in all the gaps in my garden with white Pineapples now.

I think Pineapples seem so mundane that people don't consider them a top tier fruit but tasting the White Sugarloaf has definitely changed my mind. The plants are aesthetically appealing, especially when in bloom and the plants holding fruit are a great conversation piece in the garden which lasts upwards of 6 months. The ripe fruit acts as an indoor air freshener and gives the grower free aromatherapy before the fruit is harvested for its amazingly sweet and well balanced exotic tropical flavor and the fruit has enzymes that help break down proteins. What's not to like about Pineapples besides the thorns?

Simon
I don't think it's because pineapples are mundane that they are not generally considered a top tier fruit. It has a lot more to do with the cultivars that people have been mostly exposed to...which are not very good eating quality. The Cayenne types are very good for canning, due to high acid, and most pineapple companies exclusively grew them as a vast majority of the pineapples grown are used for canning, not for sale as fresh pineapples.
Oscar

simon_grow

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #18 on: May 07, 2017, 06:36:36 PM »
Good point Oscar, I hope more people can taste this delicious White Sugarloaf. My family is hooked.

Simon

ben mango

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #19 on: May 07, 2017, 07:09:36 PM »
now you have to try frankie's 'honey cream' white pineapple

fruitlovers

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #20 on: May 07, 2017, 07:14:22 PM »
Good point Oscar, I hope more people can taste this delicious White Sugarloaf. My family is hooked.

Simon
Everyone should come here and taste them. We need more tourist dollars.  ;D  But the facts are that Big Island has probably 10x++ more production of this pineapple than tiny little Kauai island. And this is true of all agricultural products. 90% of ag is here on Big Island.
Oscar

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #21 on: May 07, 2017, 07:17:28 PM »
now you have to try frankie's 'honey cream' white pineapple

I have tried to get them before but the guy that grows them in Hawaii... says he don't ship them anymore
that you can only buy them in Hawaii... And even if someone could get them you wont be able to grow them
cause he doesn't leave the crowns on the pineapple
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fruitlovers

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #22 on: May 07, 2017, 07:24:09 PM »
now you have to try frankie's 'honey cream' white pineapple

I have tried to get them before but the guy that grows them in Hawaii... says he don't ship them anymore
that you can only buy them in Hawaii... And even if someone could get them you wont be able to grow them
cause he doesn't leave the crowns on the pineapple
There are several growers, and plenty of propagative material. You wouldn't want to use crowns, but sideshoots, for faster production. Truth is almost everyone here is just too lazy to do it. Too many nice waves, Easier to go surfing.  8)
Oscar

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #23 on: May 07, 2017, 07:31:13 PM »
now you have to try frankie's 'honey cream' white pineapple

I have tried to get them before but the guy that grows them in Hawaii... says he don't ship them anymore
that you can only buy them in Hawaii... And even if someone could get them you wont be able to grow them
cause he doesn't leave the crowns on the pineapple
There are several growers, and plenty of propagative material. You wouldn't want to use crowns, but sideshoots, for faster production. Truth is almost everyone here is just too lazy to do it. Too many nice waves, Easier to go surfing.  8)

this is what frankies says about the pineapple they grow

We also have the crown cut off when we sell it since it's patented & we don't want anyone to propagate it.
http://i-pineapple-a.blogspot.com/2013/09/hawaii-meli-kalima-honey-cream-pineapple.html
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fruitlovers

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Re: Kauai White Sugarloaf Pineapples
« Reply #24 on: May 07, 2017, 07:41:45 PM »
now you have to try frankie's 'honey cream' white pineapple

I have tried to get them before but the guy that grows them in Hawaii... says he don't ship them anymore
that you can only buy them in Hawaii... And even if someone could get them you wont be able to grow them
cause he doesn't leave the crowns on the pineapple
There are several growers, and plenty of propagative material. You wouldn't want to use crowns, but sideshoots, for faster production. Truth is almost everyone here is just too lazy to do it. Too many nice waves, Easier to go surfing.  8)

this is what frankies says about the pineapple they grow

We also have the crown cut off when we sell it since it's patented & we don't want anyone to propagate it.
http://i-pineapple-a.blogspot.com/2013/09/hawaii-meli-kalima-honey-cream-pineapple.html
That is not a sugarloaf, and Frankies is not on island of Hawaii (aka Big Island), he is on Oahu,a different island. The sugarloaf was being grown by several growers when i came here almost 30 years ago, so there are plenty around. I met the guy who originally introduced them here. He told me it was a Mexican type of pineapple he snuck in and renamed sugarloaf. I don't know the name of the original Mexican variety.
Oscar