"Way down south, where the bananas grow.........."
Actually, you can be36% south of the equator and still grow bananas! One would think it too cold to successfully grow bananas here in the little town of Katikati, with frosty winters........... in fact, last winter, the severe frosts looked as if they had all but dealt the final death knell to our bananas, but these are really a resilient bunch of herbaceous perennials! (In other words, bananas are giant herbs, related to lilies and orchids!). My gardening book tells of "the trunk or portion above ground, which carries the large ornamental leaves, is a pseudostem" and not a real stem at all. The banana is highly nutritious and the skin is rich in potassium, therefore, a vital ingredient in the compost bin.
We grow 4 "clumps" of bananas (each clump consists of 3 pseudostems). 3 are of a variety gifted to us by friends and the other is one we bought called Lady Fingers or Hamurana. With great excitement we watched our Hamurana set a beautiful ruby-red flower, which quickly became a mass of tiny little bananalets (My word for little bananas). I was told our climate is too cold and to increase heat, to wrap our bunch up in a special plastic bag. finding some left-over plastic from the construction of our hothouse, I managed to whizz up a banana bag - worked a charm and in January this year, we proudly harvested our first bunch of Katikati bananas! What a thrill!
We ate bananas and for a whole 2 weeks, our breaths smelt sweet like bananas!
Now it is with pride that we spy another 6 bunches on our friend-given bananas - one is carefully bagged and reaching harvest time (this time we will harvest before they all turn yellow, thus avoiding the possibility of death by quick consumption of bananas!
Our "health guru", Don Tolman, gives some reasons for eating bananas:
Wow! And you thought it was just a banana!
And did you know:
The signature food for the male sex organ is the banana? Yes, that's correct! It apparently increases the size and girth of the little wee fella!
....................click click click................., is that the sound of high heels as you girls all run for the nearest green grocer??
Actually, you can be36% south of the equator and still grow bananas! One would think it too cold to successfully grow bananas here in the little town of Katikati, with frosty winters........... in fact, last winter, the severe frosts looked as if they had all but dealt the final death knell to our bananas, but these are really a resilient bunch of herbaceous perennials! (In other words, bananas are giant herbs, related to lilies and orchids!). My gardening book tells of "the trunk or portion above ground, which carries the large ornamental leaves, is a pseudostem" and not a real stem at all. The banana is highly nutritious and the skin is rich in potassium, therefore, a vital ingredient in the compost bin.
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| Our first bunch of home-grown bananas |
We ate bananas and for a whole 2 weeks, our breaths smelt sweet like bananas!
Now it is with pride that we spy another 6 bunches on our friend-given bananas - one is carefully bagged and reaching harvest time (this time we will harvest before they all turn yellow, thus avoiding the possibility of death by quick consumption of bananas!
 |
| Banana Grove, next to our compost bin - note the bagged bunch of bananas! |
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| Our bunch awaiting harvest |
Our "health guru", Don Tolman, gives some reasons for eating bananas:
- Bananas are full of potassium, folate, vitamin B6, A and C for protection of heart and bones
- They are packed with fibre to keep you regular
- They contain melatonin for adjusting your internal clock
- Bananas help stabilize blood pressure (potassium)
- The potassium helps build stronger bones (mineral needed to absorb calcium)
- Helps with coughs and soothes heartburn and acid reflux
- The high amount of protein gives it a great energy reputation - it's the snack of athletes
- The dieters dream food - low in calories and fat to help reduce weight
- High in iron, bananas help anemia.
- It increases brain power (potassium) to help students stay alert
- Because of tryptophan in bananas, it helps people suffering from depression
- Snacking on bananas between meals reduced morning sickness by keeping blood sugar levels up
- Vit B6 in bananas regulates blood glucose levels, which can help alleviate moods with PMS
Wow! And you thought it was just a banana!
And did you know:
The signature food for the male sex organ is the banana? Yes, that's correct! It apparently increases the size and girth of the little wee fella!
....................click click click................., is that the sound of high heels as you girls all run for the nearest green grocer??
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