Okay, I have a teeny tiny confession to make.
I ate one of the bananas without telling you. But it was just a teeny tiny one, and it was, quite bizzarrely, the only one that was yellow. Completely yellow in a field of green. And I ate it without photographing a thing.
I was quite surprised to find that it tasted much like a banana. Any banana really. Nice and sweet and not floury, but a normal tasting banana nonetheless.
I kind of thought that fireworks might go off at the first taste, you know?
Anyway, that's neither here nor there now, because I am now a little worried. The rest of the bunch is definitely yellowing, veeeery slowly, but it's also doing something else too.
Their little stems are withering.
That can't be good. Nowhere in the literature on the growing of bananas is withering stems mentioned as a good sign.
I will cry if I have ruined another bit of produce from my garden. Why are they withering?
20 comments:
Ali - I just checked the stems on our just picked bunch. They are not withered, so I'm thinking maybe yours were just picked a tad too early.
Having said that, I reckon if they taste ok now, don't panic, they may still ripen more.... and will be ok for smoothies at least.
It did taste okay, but it was yellow, and completely ripe, and as you can see none of these are... I would like to tragedise here for a bit and go on and on about how I've ruined something else, but then I remembered I've another four bunches to cut down.
I do so enjoy a bit of drama :D
How do yours taste?
Oh no! I have been waiting with baited banana breath to hear how they turned out. Keep us informed.
You've really got to watch that baited banana breath Hazel!
Ali - taste... hmmm. Very sweet but not floury. Texture smooth but textured. Different from shop bananas. Different from cavendish. Not very good looking, a bit blemished. Does that help??
Ali, I would play it safe. Cut all of the remaining bananas into small chunks, add piles of ice cream, pour over some honey and devour them now. Or I suppose you could take the sensible route and let them ripen first! Take care
Oh Hazel, don't worry, there will be step by step progress reports :D
Wendy, yours sound lovely... the one that I had tasted like a ladyfinger, and yes, very sweet. But nothing out of this world you know. Perhaps I need to try a little harder.
Gary, how about I just eat the ice cream and honey whilst watching and willing the bananas to ripen. Or take them to the fruit market to show them how it's done?
Im just so damn impressed that you have a bunch of bananas there at your house that you grew Ali....far out..!!!!!
I might have a bunch of grapes soon...but no where near as impressive as a bunch of narnas...x
Aww Suzanne I have seen your plums, and they were impressive! Now that sounds a little wrong hey :p
I would eat them all long time ago. I wouldn't care if they are green.
Do the stems not always get a bit dry once picked?
Are they definitely meant to be eaten when yellow and not when they are green.
Reasonable to be proud you have them at all!
Esther
Don't cry Ali - I'm thinking that if one tasted ok, then the rest should be right .... 'praps they're just going out in sympathy with the parsnip LOL ;-)
Does anyone know if bananas freeze OK? Or (now here's a novel idea) could you make Green Banana Chutney, like you might use green tomatoes? Banana chips?
Anyway, just as others have said, the fact that you have successfuly reared to the "eating point" even ONE banana is more than most of us will ever be able to brag about.
Maybe it's an old wives tale but I've heard that if you put bananas in a paper bag with an apple it will help them ripen faster. The apple apparently gives off ethylene gas which speeds up the ripening. Worth a try.
Esther, they don't usually wrinkle up like that no :( store bought ones, market bought ones, and from what I have seen of my friends home grown ones, wrinkling is not a part of the process :(
I don't know if you can eat this kind of banana green. Yesterday I would have said no way, but so many of you have mentioned it now that I am starting to doubt myself... shall I try one? Perhaps I could cook it...
Mark, you are right, and right now I stand tall(ish) and proud, for whether they be good or dodgy bananas, I have produced banana. And I will eat them and enjoy them regardless.
MIght try these green ones on the children first though.
Missy I have an apple, bananas and possibly a paper bag. I will give it a go, you are a champion!
Mal I just posted a question about the parsnips on your fabulous blog that I hope everyone is checking out right as we speak :D
Maybe they're ripening on the tree instead of getting picked off and ripening on a shelf like they do in a grocery store.
Oh dear. :(
If they don't turn out to be edible you can write them off as a sacrifice to the banana gods, hopefully the rest will turn out fantastic.
Did you pick them off the tree? Yep, too early. Had the same with my first bunch. Need to leave on until first one completely yellow on the tree. Then pick whole bunch. Works much better. Or take em down a ripe hand at a time. Green bananas = yech. You can try ripening with ethylene (apple and other ripe ones), but they'll still go black. Don't worry - just go through them, chuck yucky bits and hard bits. Freeze for smoothies and cakes - not so good for eating. Beautiful ripened on the tree bananas will be gob smacking barney banana icecream delicious ;)
Sopa de platanos (green banana soup, Sth America)
4 very green hard bananas
3 cups of milk
1 cup of grated hard cheese
1/2 tsp salt
pepper
1 cup of cream
1. Peel bananas, submerge in cold water
2. In a casserole dish, heat enough water to cover the bananas
3. Remove, dry, smoosh up into a paste with the cheese, milk, salt and pepper (use fork or mixer)
4. Put in casserole, add cream and heat until comes to the boil. Remove from heat, add salt to taste. Before you serve the soup, decorate with coriander and / or paprika
oops sorry - second half of step 2. is boil for about 20 minutes, or until soft
You are right Scarlett, they all went black :( A bit of yellow in there, and I got to taste a bit of a few of them, but I gave up and gave the chickens a little treat... so now I am just looking at the rest of the bunch and waiting... waiting...
They are taking a very long time!
I will have to try your banana soup too... when I am feeling adventurous!
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