Banana Hunting

Yes, we have some bananas! Lots and lots of them, in fact!

Part of our new land was once a banana plantation. There are still remnants of that era: the old building where they used to do the cleaning and packing, for one. And, large banana patches dot the middle section of the land. These are quite overgrown yet still produce an abundance of fruit. We're slowly getting these areas cleaned up a bit. Meanwhile, we enjoy banana hunting now and then.

Bananas must be picked while they are still green but just starting to show some yellow. If you wait until they are all the way ripe, you will likely notice that the fruit rats have had a field day and the bananas will have been eaten away. Green bunches hide among the large green leaves so it's kind of like an Easter egg hunt with the "eggs" hiding overhead.

Banana plants take up loads of water and are super juicy. Although the sap runs clear--and profusely!--one must be careful to not get any on one's clothing lest it become permanently stained with a dark brown blotch wherever the sap has touched. Ask me how I know. We now have certain items that have been designated as banana-picking clothes.

It's a jungle out there! Mosquitoes abound in the dampness under the canopy. I don't even want to think about what other critters live in the rich understory, but I'll either spray liberally with bug juice or cover up with long sleeves and pants. Ready? Machete in hand, we enter the banana jungle in search of yummy deliciousness to bring home.

Score! We found some ready to harvest. To reach the bananas, we have to chop down the stalk. People are often surprised to learn that this is how bananas are harvested, but that stalk will die and need to be removed anyway. Bananas grow in clumps called mats. They are like a humongous corm that sends up multiple shoots forming the mat. The plant is more like a grass than a tree. Chop, chop, and stand back! These logs are saturated with that watery sap I mentioned earlier and therefor are super heavy. The bunches can get pretty heavy, too, especially the larger ones with many "hands" of bananas on them.

Since we have chopped down the stalk, it's now easy to reach the banana bunch. Then we can either chop the stalk into smaller logs to bring home for the pigs (they love chewing on them!) or just leave them there to decompose and feed the rest of the mat.

Now we can bring them home. We hang them by heavy wire (to avoid bruising and ants) and wait for them to fully ripen so we can enjoy the fruits of our labors! The trick is to get them at staggered stages of ripeness for a more steady supply. Looks like there will be plenty for us to indulge...

... and to share with the neighbors... and the pigs... and the chickens...

 

Banana in Hawaiian is mai'a. It was one of the canoe plants brought to the islands by the ancient Polynesians. All parts of the plant can be used, either as food or for various other things, and even that watery sap that stains has its uses. There are many varieties growing on this land. The fruits make it easy to tell them apart--taste, texture, even color, are clues--but when they're growing plants, your guess is as good as mine. I'm still learning!