Another Queesland pineapple story

Story and photos from Wynnum Manly Lota Gumdale old photos, Hendrik Gout on facebook

There are some who say that the best way to enjoy pineapple is to add its juice to two ounces of dark rum. Fortunately Wynnum-Manly produced both. We had pineapple farms and sugarcane plantations along Manly Rd, the pineapples often going to Hargreaves cannery and the cane to William Gibson's sugar mill on, yes, Gibson Island as early as 1869.

Hargraves also sourced pineapples from Redlands, Nudgee and even Glasshouse Mountains until Golden Circle naughtily opened its rival cannery at Northgate in 1947.

The Queenslander reported in 1922 all the pineapple canning machinery at Hargreaves was invented and built by Charles Hargreave himself. He exported to England and, said the Queenslander, “the company anticipates packing, for the overseas market, 25,000 cases of pines during the present season."

*And the dark rum? That was distilled from a sugar mill byproduct, molasses, in an illicit still aboard the river steamboat Walrus - the same still later used to make Beenleigh Rum.

Manly Road in the 1930s. Pineapples, strawberries, bananas and market gardens.

                      Pineapple farm and factory owned by John Hargreaves. Manly 1925.

                                          Arrows Pineapple plantation Nudgee 1897.

Hargreaves also sourced pineapples from Arrows.

Pineapple farm Redlands 1934

Soldiers’ settlement 1918

If you worked at Hargreaves you got a free courtesy bus to and from home from the cannery, the bus being an open flatbed truck with seats screwed to the deck. 

Hargreaves was a huge employer. Hundreds of local jobs.

Women working on the production line, Hargreaves pineapple factory 1951.

In praise of the pineapple

Skiourophile informed me last night that a truly delightful pineapple teacosy is on display in her skiourophillia blog:

http://skiourophilia.blogspot.com.au/2011/02/crochet.html

Pineapples appear in all kinds of surprising places, like the Jamaican coat of arms. I was recently exploring the show room of a certain extensive Scandinavian design store in Sydney when I came across a plastic pineapple in a trendy kitchen display! Sadly it wasn't for sale! Anne.

As Fran Beauman says in The Pineapple: King of Fruits
"Why is the pineapple so special? In one surprising sense it is indeed ideal. Made up of hundreds of separate fruitlets, its spirals embody the gradations of the Golden Mean - it is mathematically perfect. But it is more than that - for years a focus of traveler's tales, it is a treasure of sight and scent and taste." 

The Pineapple Part 2

The following information was collected from a variety of sources including Fran Beauman on BBC Radio’s ‘Museum of Curiosity’, her book ‘The Pineapple: The King of Fruits’ and websites such as http://www.mindspring.com/~sixcatpack/pineappl.htm

In the Caribbean pineapples symbolize hospitality. This symbolism spread to Europe, then to Colonial North America, where it became the custom to carve the shape of a pineapple into the columns at the entrance of a plantation. They also appeared on brass door knockers, stair rails and mailbox posts. Families would set a fresh pineapple in the centre of the table as a colourful centrepiece of festive meals, especially when visitors joined them in celebration to symbolise welcome and hospitality and the fruit would be served as a special dessert after the meal. Often when the visitor spent the night, he was given the bedroom which had the pineapples carved on the bedposts or headboard, even if the bedroom belonged to the head of the household.

David McNamara has given us permission to use this great photograph of a magnificent pineapple fountain in Charleston, South Carolina.

A small, peaceful hamlet in rural Alabama boasts symbols of the pineapple everywhere your eyes may look. Pine Apple, settled by "Easterners" from the Carolinas, Georgia and Virginia around 1820 was originally named "Friendship". But there was already another Friendship, Alabama, so the settlers named their town in honour of the pine and apple trees that gave the land its beauty and the town its wealth. These days the town's name is as often written "Pineapple" and it is Pine Apple. Signs of this universal symbol of hospitality are seen painted on the front doors of homes and the town's welcome sign, in fanciful finials and Christmas decorations, carved serving trays and wooden bowls, atop gateposts and rooftops, carved into bedposts and headboards, and found in a variety of table centrepieces.

The Pineapple Part 1

The following information was collected from a variety of sources including Fran Beauman on BBC Radio’s ‘Museum of Curiosity’, her book ‘The Pineapple: The King of Fruits’ and websites such as http://www.mindspring.com/~sixcatpack/pineappl.htm .

Pineapples are indigenous to South America, originating from the area between Southern Brazil and Paraguay. Christopher Columbus brought them back to Europe from Guadalupe in 1493 and it was the Spanish who introduced them into the Philippines, Hawaii, Zimbabwe and Guam. The fruit was spread around the world on sailing ships that carried them for protection against scurvy.

Pineapples became extremely fashionable in Europe. By the mid 17^th century they were grown in English hothouses and eight hundred were grown in Louis V’s vegetable garden hot houses at Versailles.  Market gardeners asked very high prices because of the great cost of growing them. They quickly became a status symbol among the wealthy in England at a cost of £5,000 each. They were rarely eaten, but taken to parties to show off and pass around. In North America you could rent a pineapple to impress your dinner guests. Due to the difficulties of growing pineapples in cold climates and the expense of importing them, they remained an expensive delicacy until after the advent of the steamship, and after World War II.

Image from http://vintageprintable.swivelchairmedia.com/botanical/botanical-educational-charts-and-plates/botanical-educational-charts-and-plates-2/

Pineapples contain an enzyme called bromalyne which is “flesh eating”. In the 18^th century someone died of eating too much pineapple and apparently workers in pineapple factories lose their fingerprints! That’s why it makes such an effective meat tenderiser.

Large-scale pineapple cultivation by U.S. companies began in the early 1900s on Hawaii. The Philippines is currently the largest producer of pineapples commercially.

Growcom Australia’s  http://www.australianpineapples.com.au/index.asp?p=12 is a great website with information on the pineapple industry in Australia (and some delicious looking recipes!)

A fruit of many cultures.

A pineapple (ananas comosus) is a tropical plant of the Bromeliaceae family, named because of its resemblance to the pine cone.
A large, sweet pineapple grown in Brazil is called abacaxi.
Spain: pineapples are called piña
Malaysia:  nanas or nenas.
Maldives: alanaasi (Dhivehi).
Swahili-speaking coast of East Africa: nanasi.
Portugal: ananaz.
Hindi: अनन्नास
French: ananas
Arabic: أناناس
Hebrew: אננס
Korean: 파인애플
Tamil: அன்னாசி
Chinese: 菠蘿
Esperanto: ananaso
Russia: ананас

Do try this at home (carefully):