We learned in Costa Rica that pineapples are ripe when they u003cstrongu003eare bright, dark greenu003c/strongu003e – NOT orange or yellow!u003cbr/u003eWhen they’re orange or yellow, they are past their prime. The pineapples are still delicious and definitely edible, but they are not going to be quite as sweet.u003cbr/u003eWhen I’m shopping for pineapple, I aim to get the biggest pineapple I can find that’s dark green. That means I’ll get as much fruit as I can, and cutting it within a day or will give me the sweetest fruit.