A Pineapple Grows in East Granby

When the topic of things grown in East Granby comes up, typically the usual list of indigenous suspects is mentioned: tobacco, blueberries, raspberries, corn, kale and lettuce, among others.

But pineapple?

Yes, pineapple can now be added to the list of fruit grown in town thanks to some students, teacher Bob Paskiewicz and the greenhouse that’s attached to the middle/high school building.

Indeed, for the last four years, students in Paskiewicz’s 8th-grade science lab class have planted pineapples that are picked once in the winter and once in the spring.

On Friday, the 15 or so students in the lab picked, cut and sampled a smaller pineapple that was planted in the greenhouse during the winter time, according to Paskiewicz.

“It’s sweeter than the pineapple you get at the store,” said 8th grader Sabrina Barry after she popped a chunk of the fruit in her mouth.

“This tastes 10 times better,” fellow student Daniel Couceiro added.

Pineapples are but one of the several things that are studied in the greenhouse by the lab students.

There is a koi pond, which has water hyacinths that are useful in providing instruction on asexual reproduction. The pond also has goldfish, tadpoles and sucker fish, according to 8th grader Mackenzie Denno.

The students also hydroponically grow (no soil) jalepeno peppers and are taught valuable lessons on such things as the greenhouse effect.

Paskiewicz said that the science lab class takes the place of a study hall, which doesn’t tend to promulgate learning.

The students, for their part, seem to love it.

“[The class] is really fun and you learn a lot of stuff from Mr. P.,” Denno said.