View Full Version : Saba A Plantain ?
edzone9
01-31-2013, 08:08 PM
Hello Gang ;
Any member growing Saba ? , if so , is it a Plantain ?
Does It taste good , is it similar to Hua Moa ?
All i know is a Monster size Banana Plant .
Thank You..
Pancrazio
01-31-2013, 08:28 PM
Not growing; willing to try next spring. Apparently, it is reasonably "cold hardy".
bananimal
01-31-2013, 08:42 PM
In the Philippines it's a cooking banana. Used for sweet desserts. I quit with it when a big wind knocked it down - with fruit on it! Almost took out the pool enclosure.
ron_mcb
02-01-2013, 12:19 AM
Hello Gang ;
Any member growing Saba ? , if so , is it a Plantain ?
Does It taste good , is it similar to Hua Moa ?
All i know is a Monster size Banana Plant .
Thank You..
When ever you get any experience with it please report it here.. New perspectives and , more original commentary would be interesting to read.
That probably sounds odd coming from me because I don't start a lot of threads . I post a lot of My comments/opinions on my pics.. Dunno if that still counts??
venturabananas
02-01-2013, 03:03 AM
Strictly speaking, it is not a plantain -- a term that refers to specific group of AAB genome bananas -- but it is a cooking banana. It is also enjoyed uncooked when fully ripe by some folks.
edzone9
02-01-2013, 09:10 AM
Thanks Guys !
I thought it was a plantain , i dont think i will tinker with this one .
I like Plantains :08:
island cassie
02-01-2013, 09:13 AM
I grew them for many years for their architectural appearance which is spectacular, but although they are heavy croppers (70lb bunches) the flavour is nondescript even when fully ripe, and we used to give the fruit away to be used as cooking bananas. Because of their strength they could support the large bunches against the very strong winds we get here. I have just had my mat removed as the large size meant that the shade they cast was very deep, and it was difficult to get up there to remove the dead leaves and keep them looking tidy.
edzone9
02-01-2013, 09:17 AM
I Think im going with the African Rhino Horn !
I have lots of Dwarf PR plantains .:08:
Thanks again !
blownz281
02-01-2013, 09:33 AM
I have some and they grow huge quick,one season 3ft tall pups grew to 15ft. No joke. I feed them well and watered them like crazy everyday.
edzone9
02-01-2013, 09:37 AM
I have some and they grow huge quick,one season 3ft tall pups grew to 15ft. No joke. I feed them well and watered them like crazy everyday.
Are you talking about the Saba Or The ARH ?
I like Plantains
Me too, eat them at least once a week.
PR-Giants
02-01-2013, 11:11 AM
This was easier.
There has got to be a thread somewhere on this site clearly explaining the differences, but I will summarize.
Plantains are a very specific type of banana, it is a genetic group of bananas. All plantains are bananas, but not all bananas are plantains. Just like all Chihuahuas are dogs, but not all dogs are Chihuahuas.
The difference between a "cooking banana" and "dessert banana" are purely cultural, there is no biologic way to separate the two. There are many cultivars which are specifically called either cooking or dessert only, but it is completely relative to the context and cultural use (certain cultivars are used for certain recipes at various stages of ripeness). Some cultivars lend themselves better to certain ways of cooking in that they seem to please the most people when eaten, but any banana is edible cooked in any manner, and also raw when ripe.
Plantain bananas are normally cooked, but it is by no means necessary as stated above.
venturabananas
02-01-2013, 12:59 PM
There is a biological difference between bananas that are generally called "cooking bananas" and those that are generally called "dessert bananas": cooking bananas have a higher starch content. If you let them get ripe enough, much of the starch in cooking bananas will break down into simpler sugars and then they taste more like dessert bananas. But Gabe's point is important: how you choose to eat a banana is largely cultural. But starch content does affect how a banana will cook up. However, where you draw the line between cooking bananas and dessert bananas is arbitrary. For example, some cultures view Pisang Awak bananas as mainly being cooking bananas, and other cultures treat them as mainly dessert bananas.
PR-Giants
02-01-2013, 11:55 PM
For anyone that is still confused between a cooking and dessert banana this might not be helpful.
The #1 selling dessert banana in Puerto Rico is the Cavendish.
The #1 selling cooking banana in Puerto Rico is the Cavendish.
Many people here consider the Manzano a Top Quality cooking banana and dessert banana.
Does anyone know what the #1 selling cooking banana in the U.S. is ?
edzone9
02-02-2013, 09:26 AM
For anyone that is still confused between a cooking and dessert banana this might not be helpful.
The #1 selling dessert banana in Puerto Rico is the Cavendish.
The #1 selling cooking banana in Puerto Rico is the Cavendish.
Many people here consider the Manzano a Top Quality cooking banana and dessert banana.
Does anyone know what the #1 selling cooking banana in the U.S. is ?
I Think It Would be the Chiquita .
raygrogan
02-03-2013, 04:30 PM
Does not answer your original question ... A tasty example of bananas going both ways - with apple banana (Brazilian to non-Hawaiians) - you can take a perfectly good ripe banana and nuke it and it turns into a delish cooked banana. For my size fruit (medium), 2 bananas on a paper plate, microwaved for 3 minutes is just right.
If you do this with a Chiquita (can't remember the timing) it also works, but not quite as good a flavor, and the banana loses far more of its volume.
Most people in Hawaii cook the Saba - very good, a lot like regular plantains.
blownz281
02-04-2013, 06:40 PM
Saba
Musa777
02-06-2013, 01:37 AM
I also grow Musa "Saba" and Iīm realy fascinated by the fast growth. Also itīs more cold hardy after my experience, as for example the Kandarian.
When it goes cold in autumn and Musa "Kandarian" is too long outside it beaks down from a part directly over the ground. Even when the leaves look good itīs the sure death of it and does not grow out of the rhizome anymore. Musa "Sabas" that were standing next to them had no damages.
Unfortunatelly I can say nothing about fruit quality because it has still not flowered in my nursery.
edzone9
02-06-2013, 10:49 AM
Thank You.
Rmplmnz
02-09-2013, 02:00 PM
Thank You.
Zone 9 Florida...where are you located?
We have grown Sabas in Tampa for over 20 years...:woohoonaner:
vBulletin® v3.6.8, Copyright ©2000-2020, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.