A friend of mine from Peru watched as I was about to trash what I thought were scraps and she yelled; “Wait! Don’t throw out that pineapple shell.”
She told me to cut the rind and place the pieces in a pitcher, cover them with boiling water and add cinnamon sticks. About 20 minutes later – there’s a soothing drink to be enjoyed either warmed up OR at room temp OR packed with ice for a summer refresher.
I’ve now done this numerous times. Here are just a few other ingredients that I’ve found make a most pleasant beverage that has almost zero calories and costs almost zero extra:
· A few whole cloves
· A broken cinnamon stick
· A small chunk or two of peeled, fresh ginger
· Several slightly crushed cardamom pods
· A small piece of vanilla bean (split open)
· Fresh mint, lemon verbena or lemon thyme
· A slice or two of fresh orange
I am sure there are others, as with any tea or tisane, enhance the liquid with whatever you fancy. Maybe even a splash or two of rum.
This beverage sure came in handy recently during a bout with Covid, when I was intent on keeping myself hydrated.