Do you buy your bananas organic?

Many people find this to be true, even when the non-organic produce is the other half of the same piece of organic fruit. The placebo effect can be very strong in these types of situations.

It doesn't prove that your experience is invalid, it's only something to be aware of.

Tom

 

^ I'd agree with you on nearly every other cert organic fruit, except the banana.
They even "look" different, more angular and thicker IME.

 

One of our farmer friends used to grow bananas in Central America. I learned more about bananas from him than I ever intended to know. The thing that surprised me the most, and should have been obvious, is that there are a lot of different varieties of bananas.

When you go to the store and buy apples, they aren't piled together with a sign that says "apples". Each variety is clearly labeled. Bananas, however, are not sold that way, at least in this country. We pile them all together and slap a "bananas" sign on them.

When you see small bananas in a pile alongside big bananas, those small ones aren't just little, they are a different variety. Each variety has its own characteristics, just as with apples. Some are longer, some thicker, some sweeter, some firmer. Oddly, though, we tend to consider them all as just bananas - all the same.

I suspect this may account for the difference you see with organic bananas. Your organic supplier may have a different variety. It's also possible, although less likely, that the organic supplier picks and ships differently than the others.

Tom

 

We purchase organic bananas but we are trying to grow our own substitute. We planted the native paw paw in our yard that grow fruit defined as a cross between and banana and a mango. Asima triloba is the name of the plant. Sited correctly, I give it no extra care other than my patience. It hasn't produced fruit yet because they're both small. I planted two for better chances of pollination.

Maybe there are native plants in your area that can serve the same purpose?

 

There are many varieties of bananas, in different sizes and colours, but most sold in North America are the same kind - Cavendish. Bananas need 18 months without frost to grow, so they're always shipped to NA from another continent. Most types don't travel well, which severely limits the variety you see in the store. Monocultures are subject to more blights and diseases than mixed crops, and Cavendish bananas are rapidly being wiped out by something called Tropical Race Four. Before long, you might not see any bananas at all.

 

There's a "local" produce stand near my house that only sells Ohio grown produce. Yep, no bananas!

SSimon, how does one grow bananas in IL? Do you have a greenhouse?

 

No, they are not bananas. They are reported to taste like a cross between a banana and a mango. They are very nutritious. The plant is native to Ohio (except for one county) so you can grow it in your yard. Ohio County Level Distribution for Asimina triloba (pawpaw) | USDA PLANTS

No green house necessary. They are indigenous to your area and can survive your climate just fine. Most people would be surprised to learn that cactus are native to Illinois and that I have the native cactus growing in my yard under the snow. No winter damage and pretty summer flowers. These are edible, too.

Here are native vendors in your area. If you want native, tell them no cultivars. http://www.wcasohio.org/PDF files/GuidetoOhioNativePlantNurseries--1.7rev2006..pdf Of these vendors, I know JF New is very reputable but I'm not sure if they carry the plant.

It can grow in about 1/2 day sun or dappled sun all day long. It likes soil that holds medium moisture to slightly drier or slightly wet. I don't think it could withstand saturation or very sandy, dry soil.

More info in this link. You'll see it's relatively pest free exceptin' that, at least here, there is a type of swallowtail butterfly that will lay it's eggs on plant. This shouldn't provide you with any notable problems and the plant should be able to survive the munching just fine. To my knowledge the caterpillars will only eat the leaves and your fruit would remain in tact so no need to spray the butterfly larvae. [ame=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pawpaw]Pawpaw - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia[/ame]

 

Thanks so much!! Really appreciate the links! Will look into.

 

This is true, I've seen the effects of systemic chemicals in produce first hand. They are applied early but last for several weeks, and spread throughout and remain within the entire plant, making every part of the plant resistant to any kind of fungus. If the produce then becomes "poisonous" in a way that the fungus cannot consume it, then I seriously question it's safety for human consumption.

More so than any other fruit, I find that organic bananas always seem to taste significantly better. Perhaps it is a difference in strains/variety, but it makes the extra cost worth it alone. It's not the same for all fruits. I've had some regular apples that taste better than organic, but that too seems variety dependent.