On January 21, 1813 Francisco de Paula y Marin planted pineapples for King Kamehameha I.
It is thought that pineapple was brought in the 1700s on a Spanish ship carrying the fruit on board for it's sailors who "accidently" introduced it to Hawaii.
James Dole established the Hawaiian Pineapple Company in 1901 on the same property that I met with the management of Dole Plantion to design this print. They needed a new print to wear and to sell in their retail store on the property in another colorway.
"The Hawaiian Islands and the Story of the PINEAPPLE" by Isabel N Young ,A.M., 6th printing,1939:
Pinepple Plantations
"Twenty-two months after the plants are put into the ground many fields produce 30 tons of fruit and 100 tons of plant vegetation or 260,000 pounds per acre.Comparison of these figures with the production of other plants shows a remarkable soil production..."
" The workers live in small attractive cottages.Each cottage has it's own yard,where there are cocoanut palms,avocado pear,banana and papaya trees, as well as small vegetable gardens.Doctors,dental care and hospitalization are supplied free of charge; then there are the churches,banks,motion pictures and recreational centers.The schools are under the direction of the Territorial Board of Education.Each plantation is a small town in itself."
In 1968 when I was 17 years old, I was hired to work at the Dole Cannery in Honolulu as a pineapple trimmer. I was assigned a locker and given a tour of the plant and then rode the bus back to my sister's apartment on Ena Road. My boyfriend,Chip Cherry, told me that we would never see each other if I worked at night so I quit my job with Dole before starting it.
This aloha shirt/dress print was in a way to re-connect with the company after nearly 38 years.
One of my favorite ways to eat pineapple:
Pineapple Freezie(tastes just like sorbet)
Ingredients:Frozen Pineapple cut into vertical pieces
Champion Juicer with "blank" plate on
Directions:
Homogenize frozen pineapple in the Champion Juicer and serve in bowls for dessert
Using frozen peeled bananas gives it an ice cream flavor and texture.
Nothing but pure fruit in this dessert.I'm going to start looking for ripe pineapples to freeze after this!
If you ever go to the Dole Plantation in Wahiawa on Oahu,please check out this print! I drove through flooded roads one day and was 2 hours late for a meeting with Dole.There is a lot going on behind these white plumerias and golden pineapples!
Aloha from Kailua ,
Emma
