Pineapple is a symbol of hospitality. In the old seafaring days, pineapple was a rare and wonderfully exotic fruit. It also kept well on long voyages.

New England ship captains home from the sea would set a pineapple by the front entry gate. This was a sign that sailors had come home safely to the welcoming embrace of family and friends. It also served as notice that a pa'ina (party with food) — complete with onolicious pineapple on the menu — was about to occur. No wonder visitors to Hawai'i and snowbound people envy us in that we get to eat fresh pineapple every day.

The pineapple image has long been popular in Hawaiian quilt motifs and other designs. Fine furniture with carved pineapple accents, for example, has long reminded visitors from the Mainland, Europe and elsewhere of Hawai'i and the tropics, and our hospitality.

On my parents' 50th wedding anniversary, my sister Mimi and I came up with a meaningful design based on the memorable parts of my parents' wedding. My mom remembered the "rare tuberose lei" from my dad and ripe pineapple. She also loves yellow. So, we gathered up yellow roses and lei tuberose, and draped them over pineapple set in lauhala baskets. It made for memorable, affordable fragrant and edible decor.

Did you know that pineapple may have arrived in Hawai'i before Caption Cook rediscovered these islands? The Hawaiian name for pineapple was "hala kahiki," or hala from a far-off land — the mystical ancestral land of Kahiki. They also called it "hala 'ai" (the hala you can eat) There were wild, seedy and sweet varieties in Kona and in Kailua. The Kailua variety was called the "wild Kailua."

Pineapple is a bromeliad, called Ananas comosus by scientists. Early Spanish explorers ate it and planted it as they traveled. They called it pina thinking that the well-armored fruit looked like a pine cone. Among the early crops was "smooth cayenne," but ask any pine picker and they will tell you they are very poky and spiny. That's why pineapple pickers wear lots of protective layers of clothing, tough long gloves and sun-protective safety gear.

Scientists and agriculturists tell us that pineapple is probably native to Paraguay. The wild forms were pollinated by hummingbirds and were full of seeds. A seedless pineapple was hybridized, and now we have 'ono sweet low-acid varieties. Too bad it is almost a pau crop for Hawai'i. We should continue to grow pineapple here. It is a great food crop for Hawai'i, especially if we can figure out how to grow it more sustainably — with fewer or no harmful insecticides and toxic chemicals, and maybe with a less gnarly, thorny mass.

As a keiki I didn't care much for pineapple. It was too sour and acidic for me. When I worked as a tour driver and guide I would pick the best pineapples, cut them up and feed them to the tourists. They slurped them up. When they offered me some I'd decline, eating only the papaya and mango.

Now that the varieties are sweeter, I do like to eat pineapple, especially if I'm getting that tickly sore-throat feeling.

Pineapple as a crop is low and beautiful — laid out in uniform, undulating fields that help maintain good views of mountains and ocean in the distance. I hope that we will continue to grow pineapple here in Hawai'i. Some replacement crops block views. Worse yet, are the replacements that come in the form of more shopping centers, luxury gated "investor" houses and rampant concrete development.

We need to get serious and invest in our future by financially and legislatively supporting agriculture and our dedicated farmers.

In my generation, home-grown refrains included: "You kids better study hard or you'll be a pineapple picker" and "Get a degree in ag and you can be a supervisor at the cannery. Or in the field operations." Today's question is: "Where have all the pineapple fields gone?"

When I was working on Lana'i, they would send me home with boxes of fresh, 'ono pineapple. "Share with your neighbors, Heidi. Give to your co-workers; Aren't Lana'i pineapples the most 'ono?" The guys in Kunia would tell me the same thing: "Ours are the best-tasting, your neighbors would agree, Heidi."

You can easily grow a pineapple or a patch of them. Twist off the top, let it dry a bit upside down and then plant it in the ground or in a pot. (You can even grow it in a vase of water like you do an avocado seed. It temporarily makes a cute houseplant). They need sun and soil, though, to really grow and fruit well.

Heidi Bornhorst is a sustainable-landscape consultant. Send questions to: Island Life, The Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or islandlife@honoluluadvertiser.com.