Yes, we have some bananas!
We have some bananas today!!! SO come Mr Tally man and tally me bananas! I bet you sang that!
Our yard has about 8 banana trees in it. We are learning how to propagate and harvest these tasty fruits. The smaller banana hands that are produced have a sweeter flavor than any store bought fruit could imagine.
Today, after three months of waiting, we were able to harvest a hand of bananas. Each hand has about 4-7 bunches of bananas on it.
The bananas still have about 4 days to go.
After removing the stick and flower from the tree, the tree needs to be chopped back. This stalk will never produce any more fruit, but will assist the tree to grow another stalk for fruit bearing.
Once you remove the hand from the tree, the hand needs to be cleaned and then the bunches removed from the stalk. You usually have 4-8 bunches of bananas . Let them dry on the counter and then place them in a paper bag with either an apple or some already ripening bananas. This will assist in the ripening of the fruit. Bananas emit an ethane gas as they ripen. So as they are in the bag, the ripening will happen. Check on them each day to see if they have changed from the green to the yellow.
Sometimes, the change will not happen.
If you pick the hand too early, it will remain a fibrous fruit. You can still eat the bananas like this. They are just like their cousin the plantain. You can slice and fry the green fruit and add a bit of salt. You will have an amazing slightly sweet and salty chip.
As bananas ripen, you can also fry them in a tad bit of vegetable oil and have a sweet and amazing dessert. Eat as they are out of the pan, or add them to ice cream or cake for an amazing topping.
The flower of the banana stalk is also edible.
Although I have never taken the time to make anything with it, my Vietnamese friends make a tasty soup from the flower pod. It has a sweet and sour taste, but the cleaning of the pod is time consuming. You can see many instructions for this soup on YouTube.
So, now when you eat that banana each morning, you can stop and see how much time goes into the growing of the fruit. Three months for it to ripen and grow on the tree. Then cutting and cleaning the stalks. Then allowing the ripening process for about four more days bringing the sweetness to full fruition!