Bananas

Although they are one of the world’s most popular fruits, many Americans have only eaten one or two of the hundreds of kinds of bananas. In fact, the Cavendish variety that populates grocery store produce sections is called the “tourist banana” in India, because only tourists bother with this rather plain-tasting choice.

Consumers should be aware that most varieties of banana reach peak ripeness and flavor not when they are an attractive, uniform yellow (or red, for red varieties) color, but when they have formed brown spots and are softened to some degree. “Over the hill” is actually just right, for most bananas. Experiment to find your favorite point of ripeness.

At SweetSong, we grow nine kinds of bananas, but our primary producers are Dwarf Nam Wah, Jamaican Red, and Praying Hands bananas, each an excellent, rich-flavored variety well adapted to Florida. We utilize banana circles, a technique from permaculture in which a central pit is surrounds by a mound planted with bananas, and prunings and pulled weeds are regularly tossed into the pit area to compost and eventually feed the surrounding plants. “Closing the cycle” in this way is part of our ecological, regenerative approach.

Bananas are fun to grow, but be aware that even at nurseries the varieties are often mismarked. A plant advertised as “Ladyfinger” could be almost any small yellow-fruited variety. Also, bananas are prone to diseases that can spread. We recommend Sulcata Grove, a local small supplier who will provide a disease-free specimen of the exact variety advertised.