Yes.....We Have No Bananas

We have about 30 banana trees on the 1 acre compound on which we live. The development of a bunch of bananas is an interesting and lengthy process. One variety we have produces a large plump banana, while another is a very small, almost a "cocktail" size banana.

It's either "feast" or "famine" with these tasty treats. Although, they produce year round, we either have bunches ready at the same time or nothing for weeks. I have made: banana pudding, banana cake, banana bread, and banana jam. We have had them for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, mixed with meat in a stew, mixed with peanut butter, coated with chocolate, roasted, fried, grilled, and stewed. And this is just what we keep for ourselves. To keep from getting tired of this bountiful harvest, we share them with our security guards and bestow bunches as gifts.

So this is how the bananas grow........
First, this funny looking thing appears on the tree on a long fibrous stem that can be as long as 4 feet.

Next little curls will appear and before long there are tiny bananas




The actual fruit does not take long to develop. They just take several months before they are ready to harvest. Sometimes the bunch gets so heavy the tree sags and has to be propped up with a board to keep the tree from breaking.




This stalk is ready to cut. Tanzanians like green bananas in a meat stew, grilled, roasted, or boiled. To get a nice, ripened banana, it is necessary to stay in a dark place for about 2 weeks.

Do we get tired of bananas?................As long as there is banana pudding, banana cake, and banana bread......Ed will keep right on eating.