[1] It’s a pineapple—and it’s pink! (all photos © Fresh Del Monte).

[2] Put Pinkglow on your list of Valentine’s Day gifts.

[3] We sliced our pineapple and ate it sparingly over a few days, to make the experience last. We were sad when it was gone.

[4] Drink pink!

[5] The shipped pineapple comes in a box stamped “Precious Cargo From Costa Rica.”

After 16 years of bioengineering*, Fresh Del Monte Produce has released Pinkglow™ pineapples, presenting it as an exclusive and luxurious fruit.

Before you turn away at the thought of bioengineered food, note that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has given Pinkglow the thumbs up.

They explain that “there are no unresolved safety or regulatory questions about the pineapple.”

The “new pineapple has been genetically engineered to produce lower levels of the enzymes already in conventional pineapple that convert the pink pigment lycopene to the yellow pigment beta carotene.

“Lycopene is the pigment that makes tomatoes red and watermelons pink, so it is commonly and safely consumed [source].”
 
 
WHAT IS A PINKGLOW PINEAPPLE?

This is not your everyday-eating pineapple; it’s a splurge. Each fruit costs $29, plus expedited shipping (prices will vary by vendor).

The Pinkglow pineapple looks like a regular pineapple on the outside—a pineapple on the smaller size.

But cut it open and you’ll find that its interior is 100% rosy pink.

The bummer is that, in the name of sustainability, the crowns of the pineapples (the leafy tops) are cut off before shipping. So Pinkglow won’t make a dramatic centerpiece.

The crowns are replanted to grow new pineapples. It takes two years to grow a new one (who knew that the top of the pineapple regenerates into a new pineapple?).

Pinkglows are grown exclusively by Fresh Del Monte, in Costa Rica.
 
What does it taste like?

We were fortunate to try a Pinkglow, and novel experience:

 
 
WHAT IS LYCOPENE

Lycopene is a natural pigment that gives numerous fruits and vegetables their pinkish or reddish color.

It is a carotenoid, and is currently the most powerful antioxidant that has been measured in food.

While studies continue, it is believed to play a role in preventing cancer, heart disease, and macular degeneration [source].

Fruits and vegetables that are high in lycopene include asparagus†, cooked tomatoes, guavas, mangos, papayas, pink grapefruits, persimmons, red cabbages, sweet red peppers and watermelons.
 
 
GET YOUR PINKGLOW PINEAPPLE

Pinkglows will be available nationwide at retail—but not just yet.

For now, you can only order them online at PinkglowPineapple.com.

While they’re pricey today, they should be much more affordable at retail.

For now, the precious pineapples are perishable‡, and require two-day shipping.

If you do receive a Pinkglow, check the FAQ on the website to see how to store it.
 
 

> THE HISTORY OF PINEAPPLE

*Bioengineered (BE) foods, also referred to as genetically engineered (GE) or genetically modified (GM) are foods for which the DNA of the source organism has been artificially modified in some way, ordinarily to alter traits of that organism [source].

†You may be surprised that green asparagus is on the list of high-level lycopene foods. But not all lycopene-rich foods are pinkish or reddish.

‡Pineapples are harvested when ripe. Given the time for shipping from the field to your grocer, they should be consumed fairly soon after you buy them.

Roasting vegetables is easy.

You can toss pretty much any vegetable with olive oil and seasoning and roast it in the oven.

The happy result: a low-calorie, nutritious and delicious side (or a vegetarian main with some protein).

But sometimes the results are less than perfect.

There are a few guidelines to guarantee your veggies will be caramelized and divine—not overcooked and soft.

You need to get three things right: the right temperature, the right oven placement, and the right timing.

“Each type of vegetable has a sweet spot,” says Good Eggs, a premier purveyor of fine foods in the San Francisco Bay area.

“So we tested and tested again to find that perfect combination of temperature, placement and timing for each of our favorite fall vegetables.”

They compiled that information into the infographic below, and allowed us to share it with you.

Read their full article for details on how to slice, dice and season six favorite fall veggies.

Go veggies! Go roasted veggies! Go make some now!

Roast your favorite fall veggies to perfection (photo and infographic © Good Eggs).

[1] Two types of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena you should know: regular and invecchiato, which is aged in barrels for three years or more (all photos © Balsamic Vinegar Of Modena).

[2] There are several uses for balsamic below, but one you might not have thought of is on ice cream!

[3] The EU’s Protected Geographic Indication seal (PGI) assures that you are buying authentic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena.

[4] As balsamic vinegar ages, it becomes thicker and more concentrated.

[5] Spruce up a baked potato with balsamic-marinated cherry tomatoes. Here’s the recipe (photo © Idaho Potato Commission).

[6] Balsamic glazed salmon. Here’s the recipe, and more about how to use balsamic glaze (photo © DeLallo).

The Consorzio Aceto Balsamico di Modena (Consortium of Balsamic Vinegar of Modena) has declared a new food holiday: November 1st Balsamic Vinegar of Modena Day.

Balsamic vinegar is one the most important Italian food products—and also one of the most knocked-off.

There is a lot of balsamic vinegar sold that is imitation balsamic. It hasn’t been made according to the rules and regulations of the Consorzio

Some inexpensive supermarket or big chain balsamics are simply cheap red wine vinegar colored and flavored with caramel.

If it’s inexpensive, it’s imitation!

With so many bottles on the shelves, it’s not always easy to locate the authentic Balsamic Vinegar of Modena. be To certain:

 
The things to look out for follow, but first:

> Here’s more about imitation balsamic.

> The different types of balsamic vinegar.

> The different types of vinegar: a photo glossary.

> The history of vinegar.

Below:

> The history of balsamic vinegar.

> Favorite ways to use balsamic vinegar.

> The year’s 6 vinegar holidays.
 
 
WHAT IS AUTHENTIC BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Today, the authentic balsamic vinegar of Modena, Italy—Aceto Balsamico di Modena—is still made under the same very strict conditions that have guided it for centuries.

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena specifications require that:

 
If the product is aged for 3 years or more it is labeled “invecchiato” (aged).

But that’s not all! In order for the product to be certified as Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, analytic and organoleptic tests by expert technicians and tasters are performed on the vinegar while it’s still in barrels.

If it passes the test finished product is then packaged into glass, wooden, ceramic or terracotta containers of varying sizes. The European logo of the “Protected Geographical Indication” guarantees the authenticity of the product to the consumers.
 
 
BEYOND INVECCHIATO

The oldest and most complex balsamics are the “traditional” balsamics, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena. These are aged for a minimum of 12 years. Extra Vecchio (Extra Old) balsamics are aged for a minimum of 25 years.

The older they get, the more the vinegar evaporates in the barrel, the more concentrated and syrupy the vinegars becomes. You can find balsamics aged 50, 75 years, and older, costing hundreds of dollars for just 3.4 ounces.

These precious balsamics are not used in cooking, but as garnishes: dribbled by the drop onto Parmigiano-Reggiano or other fine cheese, foie gras, seafood, ice cream…or as a digestif at the end of the meal, served on a little spoon.
 
 
FAVORITE USES FOR BALSAMIC VINEGAR

Whether invecchiato or younger, any balsamic can be used in:

 
Here’s more about each of these uses.

[7] Caprese flatbread with balsamic glaze. Here’s the recipe (photo © For The Love Of Cooking).

Balsamic Vinegar of Modena’s origin dates back to ancient Rome, when grape must* was cooked down into a syrup used as a sweetener and condiment—and as a medicine, too.

Production of balsamic vinegar became linked with the Italian city of Modena during the 11th century.

Toward the end of the 13th century, the art of vinegar production was cultivated at the court of the Dukes of Este in Modena. But it was not until 1747 that the adjective “balsamic” appeared in the registers of the cellars of the dukes.

In the 19th century, Balsamic Vinegar of Modena became known and appreciated abroad.

Since then, the bitter-sweet balanced flavor, with its intense deep brown color and luscious aroma, has become a favorite with connoisseurs worldwide.

Here’s more of the history of balsamic vinegar.

Here’s more about how balsamic vinegar is made.
 
 
THE YEAR’S 6 VINEGAR HOLIDAYS

 
Plus:

________________

*Grape must (from the Latin vinum mustum, young wine ) is freshly crushed grape juice that contains the skins, seeds, and stems of the fruit.

†There are two National Vinegar Days. June 16th is been mentioned in some older newspaper archives, but November 1st is the date more commonly associated with the holiday.
 
 

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