The Tour 

Our group stepped off the bus, and with a rush of heat came the excitement of the day. We had been transported from our humble abode in Skudai to the countryside of Pontian. Within the small district on the west side of Johor lies Pekan Nanas, known to us English speakers as “Pineapple Town.” And its here in a field, in a town, in a place, where palm trees and the haze synonymous with the thick air of the tropics that our group began the tour. 

Malaysia supports many research farms throughout the country, but this farm, in particular, specializes in the breeding and propagation of pineapple; a fruit that’s as polarizing as it is sweet. We strolled down a gravel lane that rose just above the plots on either side. The smoke of former flames drifted across our path, and thoughts of death, commonly paired with those visions of ash, would be amiss as the embers give birth to new life in just one short month. In a month, the field that was once dead, comes alive with row after row of infant sprigs.

These sprigs, better known as “suckers” were pieces of a once whole crown that topped the fruit. The tour was better described as a walk through history. Each step we took brought us closer to the plants that had endured days of sun and rain only to bear a fruit that meant the end of its time. Pineapple plants can tolerate months of drought, poor soil, and a barrage of nibbling from boar to bug. And for this struggle, they provide a single fruit. Complete with a crown and flesh, the fruit lies amongst jagged leaves, and its here at the end of the fields, where our tour brought us to the rebirth.

The crowns of past fruits hold on to a purpose of renewal. They’re chopped, shaved, and carried to a new home. In a quick stroke, however, comfort is bestowed, as one can see how the flow of life never really ends. One pineapple turns into four. Four into sixteen. And what was once alone on a plant, became a lineage of life for years in the fields.

-musings from a traveler 

The Taste 

“I can’t stop eating it. It is so sweet and so juicy! Why doesn’t it taste like this at home?!”

These were the words of a visitor at the tasting event today at Pineapple Park. Students from Penn State, Iowa State, and Hawkeye Community College, along with local students from our own UTM (@UTMeduc) engaged in a tasting and Q&A session with an educational specialist at the park. The tour had a focus on production and propagation, but what tour would be complete without a taste of the fruits of all that labor?

Members of the group were treated with a sample of MD2, as well as a cupcake laced with a little of the flavor that makes this park so sweet. “I thought they were really good, like a pineapple upside-down cake I’d get in the states, but better because well, we’re here!” Cheerful words like these from a teacher in the group were the norm as laughter and consumption filled the afternoon. Students from the US and UTM alike asked questions about the ripeness of the fruits and international trade, as well as tasted the local fare before moving on to the final activity of the day. When asked about the prospect of enjoying pineapple in the same way when returning to the US, a student from the group said “no” and then followed with “look around! This is the source! we’d have to go to Hawaii for this. and that’s not happening anytime soon…I better grab another piece”

-For stories like this, and more, including perspectives from both Malaysia and the United States, search #AgEd2Malaysia on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

The Transplant 

Have you always wanted to transplant your own pineapple, but didn’t know how? Do you need some super sweet fruit in your life but don’t have the money to drive to the store and buy some? Do you need the spiritual connection to nature and the gratification of honest work that can only be provided from growing your own food? Well, I’m here to tell you that you can because its as easy as: Chop, Punch, and Smooth!

CHOP- cut a crown of a pineapple into fourths, fifths, or even sixths! Heck, you can even pull off the suckers from an old plant that you’ve harvested a fruit from, and VOILA! You have yourself the makings of a new pineapple plant.

PUNCH- You’ll need a stick. A big stick. Find a big stick, and then throw that one away because you’ll need a REALLY big stick with a pointed end. Got that stick? Good, because that’s going to be your ride from “Sucker-town” to plant-in-the-ground. The stick should be held with both hands firmly, and then plunged into the ground to a depth of 6 inches to make a hole for the sucker. Have you made your hole? Was it super easy because for Pete’s sake its full of peat?! You bet!

SMOOTH- smoothly grab your sucker (it’s a little prickly) and smoothly insert it into the hole (you don’t want to damage the cutting). Next, smooth the soil around the plant to fill in gaps and smooth your hair back because you have just taken the first steps to growing your own pineapple! How about that?! In Just 14 to 16 months you’ll be snacking on some sweet gold and thanking yourself that you read a blog from someone who learned how to plant a pineapple from the experts in Malaysia who grow the best Ananas comosus in the world!