Halloween Meets the Tropics With Pineapple Jack-O’-Lanterns
For a sweet twist on a holiday classic.
By Jessie Schiewe
Playa Bowls in Belmar, New Jersey hosted a pineapple-carving contest last year.
A squirrel is bingeing on a jack-o’-lantern in my neighbors’ front yard.
The entire upper half of its body is lodged inside, plundering the gourd’s inner sanctum presumably for food, but maybe also because it hates Halloween or enjoys destroying art. What was once a laboriously carved face is now but a gaping wound with jagged edges and a squirrel’s butt sticking out of it.
My neighbors are at work now, but later in the day, when they pick up the kids from school and return home, I’m sure they’ll see it. An obliterated pumpkin with a huge crater as its face is hard to miss.
If only they’d chosen to carve a pineapple jack-o’-lantern instead.
Although it, too, is edible, the fruit of a pineapple is protected by a thick, spiky skin that can be harder for small critters to penetrate. Possibly for this reason — as well as a bevy of others, including sheer cool factor — pineapple jack-o’-lanterns as Halloween decor are growing in popularity. With their aloha vibes and harkenings of warmer weather, they’re a unique alternative to the traditional gourd-with-a-candle-in-it schtick that you so often see this time of year.
Granted, pumpkins still reign when it comes to vessels for jack-o’-lanterns. According to statistics from the United States Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of Commerce, and National Retail Federation, in 2019 alone, roughly 44 percent of the U.S. population will purchase a pumpkin, spending more than $377 million collectively on the spherical vegetables.
Compared to pineapples — the bulk of which are imported from Costa Rica, Honduras, and Mexico — pumpkins are also cheap. This year, the average cost for one in the U.S. is $2.60, even less than its 2018 price of $3.89.
But using pumpkins for jack-o’-lanterns might not be the best move for the environment. As they decompose, gourds emit methane, a harmful greenhouse gas that contributes to climate change.
With a purported 1.3 billion pounds of pumpkins in the U.S. ending up in the trash each year, concern about their deleterious effects on the atmosphere has motivated the Energy Department to post annual warning blogs since at least 2013.
The perks of pineapple jack-o’-lanterns
Working with pineapples trumps pumpkins in terms of simplicity. Because you don’t have to clean their innards of slimy seeds and sinewy strings, and because they have a smaller surface volume overall, using the tropical fruits for jack-o’-lanterns can save you time and reduce your mess.
Granted, a pineapple’s narrow, tall shape does limit the kinds of designs you can carve into its face when compared to a pumpkin. If you end up with a pineapple that looks like a ski mask or Wilson from Castaway, you’re not alone.
But there are ways to use the pineapple’s strange shape to your advantage, especially if you’re skilled with a knife. To maximize use of the space, consider carving images with emphasis on verticality, like haunted houses, cats with curved spines, or Frankenstein faces.
If you’re old-fashioned and prefer tea lights to glow sticks or battery-powered candles, expect sweet smells that might whet your appetite once you get your lantern glowing.
Also, be prepared for your hands to feel softer after carving the fruit.
Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme that is often found in meat tenderizers because it breaks down protein chains. When your skin comes into contact with it, the enzymes help exfoliate and remove dead skin cells, leaving the surface smoother and brighter-looking.
Pineapple jack-o’-lanterns are easy to make
For those who are lazy or pressed on time, pineapple jack-o’-lanterns check all the boxes.
Lay the pineapple on its side and slice off the top, a few inches below the crown. Set aside.
Using a pineapple corer, remove the tough pulp in the center of the fruit. You may throw it away, but you can also use it as a base when blending smoothies.
Optional: Draw or trace a design onto the pineapple’s face using a black marker.
Using a paring knife, either trace the design or carve one freehand into the fruit’s surface.
Illuminate the pineapple’s innards with a tea light, glow stick, or flameless, battery-powered candle.
Place the crown on the top of the pineapple, like a lid.
Put your new Halloween pineapple on display.
Prepare for people to copy you next year.
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