After "a disaster" harvest, the Queensland Country Women's Association (QCWA) is cooking up a delicious action plan to help struggling pineapple farmers.
Members of the Beerwah branch have challenged Australians to buy the growers' tasty tropical fruit and to think outside the square when using it.
"The Country Women's Association is renowned for cooking competitions and our branch takes pride in supporting the local community and responding to local community needs," president Debbie Ives said.
"We're towards the end of the glut so buy up now, use them, freeze them."
Ms Ives reached out to her mum in the UK for a recipe for the perfect pineapple upside-down cake, which turned out flawlessly on her first try.
The push to get people to eat more fresh pineapple was welcomed by third-generation Beerwah farmer Robert Frizzo, 73, who said the number of growers in Queensland had shrunk dramatically.
COVID disruptions savaged sales of fresh pineapples to cruise ships, airlines, cafes and restaurants, while the costs of fertiliser, fuel and labour increased.
Extended wet weather last year caused a mass natural flowering event, bringing a large amount of small fruit on at once.
"This season has been a particularly vicious run and it's affected all the plants at every age, affected the fruiting, the size," Mr Frizzo said.
"It's really a disaster that no one expected. I had a patch of about 120,000 and I've picked nothing marketable out of it. They were very small."
Mr Frizzo's family business survived by selling "baby pines" to local greengrocers.
"Some farmers lost 50 per cent, 75 per cent, even 100 per cent [of fruit that met supermarket specifications], so you've lost all of your income," the farmer said.
"It wasn't a beat up, there were a lot of articles on the radio and television, and they were all true."
The Beerwah QWCA's March 18 (nut-free) cooking competition categories include pineapple cake, pineapple jam, pineapple chutney and pineapple desserts; with children encouraged to enter any pineapple recipe.
Showing off the pineapple's diversity in a delicious display of simple dishes, the clever cooks stressed that you don't have to live in Queensland to get creative.
Larger pineapples are now being harvested, with fresh fruit picked year-round.
Up to 35 million pineapples are produced every year in Australia, mostly by Queensland growers, and retail for between $3.90 to $4.90 whole in major supermarkets.
From planting they can take two years to produce fruit, which grows from a cluster of up to 150 fertilised flowers that join together.
Del Davis, a proud CWA member for 63 years, said branch's signature "Glass House slice", featuring one the group's "favourites lines" pineapple jam, could be made using fresh or frozen fruit.
The Beerwah branch was founded in 1947 and still meets in the wooden building, which was constructed from locally milled timber in 1948.
Ms Ives said the group was founded on fun.
"Predominantly we're here for friendship and fun and learning new skills, there's always more to learn."
