View Full Version : Post pictures of banana-sellers here
lorax
11-01-2008, 02:16 PM
Here's an idea - take a picture of where you buy your bananas (the ones you're not growing, of course!)
I'll go first. This is a picture of the "banana sector" of the fresh-market where I shop. The whole schmoo is outdoors in the overflow parking lot of a football stadium, and it's about 2 square blocks of market. Produce is arranged by sectors, so that all banana sellers, for example, are in one general area, as are the fresh fish sellers, pineapple people, potatos and other tubers, etc. etc.
I apologize for image quality, it's a cel-phone camera photo. Nanners as far as the eye can see! :0517: This particular stall specializes in Oritos by the raceme, but also sells green and mature Platanos and occasionally has a raceme of Reds as well. Everything in the stall is $1 US.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14366&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14366)
john_ny
11-01-2008, 02:53 PM
Great picture! I don't think my local supermarket would be nearly as interesting.
harveyc
11-01-2008, 03:07 PM
Lorax, $1 buys a whole raceme???
That's a lot of bananas! :D
bepah
11-01-2008, 05:49 PM
Do they allow tasting of samples?
I know this is a commodity, but as a visitor, I might want a preview....
lorax
11-01-2008, 08:10 PM
They do, actually. If you ask nicely, most sellers will give you a finger as proof of quality. This actually holds true for most eat-out-of-hand type fruits offered. For example, I am often offered strawberries or small peaches to test before I buy.
stumpy4700
11-01-2008, 08:56 PM
WOW that is awesome, wish I was there right now.
john_ny
11-01-2008, 09:58 PM
Reminds me. Whenever I go in a supermarket (local, or places I'm visiting), I always make a run through the produce department, to see if they have anything weird, that I can plant. One time, in Fort Lauderdale, (Florida) I saw some passionfruit. I brought one to the checkout, and the clerk said to me, "Before I ring this up, I want to say they're expensive." I thought, OK, I'm only getting one. It came up at US$1.95. The next day, we visited a local (huge) flea market and, in the produce section, a woman had them at her stand. I asked how much, and she said, " Six for a dollar." I said that I couldn't use six, two woud be enough, and how much did I owe? She said, "A quarter." (25˘) I enjoyed the juice, planted the seeds and, in 7 months, had flowers and, in 10 months, ripe fruit.
lorax
11-01-2008, 10:50 PM
I should actually mention that I don't normally buy a whole raceme, because I can't eat that many bananas before they go all black and icky. I buy a large hand (somewhere between 20 and 30 fingers) for $1 from another vendor, who normally throws in three to six loose Sedas regardless of what or how much I buy. She also sells mandarin oranges the size of standard navels, at anywhere 25 to 30 for $1.
And on the subject of passionfruits, I bought 25 purple maracuya for $1 today, and I'm looking forward to juicing them.
Magilla Gorilla
11-01-2008, 11:18 PM
All I can say is WOW! I would be in heaven. Thanks for the pictures.
CookieCows
11-02-2008, 07:14 AM
I love that picture!!!!
Lets just pretend that I stood in front of IGA or Kroger and took pictures. haha
Deb
Richard
11-02-2008, 10:25 AM
I've been selling passion fruit for 25 cents each here in San Diego. I guess it's time to lower the price!
harveyc
11-02-2008, 11:04 AM
Berkeley Bowl in Northern California has a nice banana selection with 6-8 types but it's about an hour drivefrom here so I seldom go here.
Chironex
11-02-2008, 03:28 PM
I get mine at the gas station, wanna see a picture?
john_ny
11-02-2008, 06:31 PM
OK, Scot, show us the picture. I really want to post some of my early experiences with TC, (not bananas, at that time, but I do have a pear tree in my yard that I grew from TC, and is now almost 30 years old), but I can't seem to find the time. Will be able to do it pretty soon, I hope.
Great stuff lorax! Boy am I jealous. By the way my first attempt at speaking Spanish did not go so well. The girl at the register spoke no English and it didn't go as well as it could have. I did however end up with some Bonito bananas from Ecuador I assume are some var. of Cavendish as well as some unidentified plantains and some small ones I'm guessing were "goldfinger". A friend of my wife's who gave me the tostones and sauce recipe for the plantains is going to go to a big market about an hour away that supposedly has a huge selection of all kinds of produce and has volunteered to be my translator. I'll let you know how it goes.....Bob:nanadrink:
lorax
11-03-2008, 11:00 AM
Bonitos (I've been to the plantation) are Cavendishes, no doubt about it. Post a pic of your tiny nanners, I'll be able to tell you which kind they are.
And Chironex - You simply MUST post a picture of your gas-station banana store.
BabyBlue11371
11-03-2008, 06:49 PM
ok here is where I get my nanners.. Mind you population of the town here is around 2,000.. Allyson sweetly neatened up the table so I could snap this shot.. Inspite of it was me that messed it up searching for the best bunches..
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14385&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14385&ppuser=942)
To make it a little more exciting... here is my fav nanner snack..
Nanner dipped in dry tang... YUMMMMM!!!!
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14386&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14386&ppuser=942)
Gina *BabyBlue*
BabyBlue11371
11-06-2008, 11:28 PM
you can imagine my suprise when I found these little gems at my local....
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14405&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14405&ppuser=942)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14406&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14406&ppuser=942)
I bought every one they had.. and the kids ador them!!!
Are these Dwarf Cavendish??
I need to put these on my got to have list!!!
Any other brave souls gonna post their local nanner fix???
Can't be worse than mine..
Gina *BabyBlue*
lorax
11-07-2008, 09:29 AM
Those minis are most likely not DCavs, since my Dcavs are never that round. Did the Dole Minis bag have a country of origin for those? They look like Oritos but there's somehting not quite right about the shape and size. The big ones are obviously standard Cavs - dwarf Cavs look exactly the same, just a touch shorter and growing on a shorter pstem.
Compare: this photo is Oritos and Sedas and Rosados.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=10096&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10096)
D_&_T
11-07-2008, 09:46 AM
Could they be Veinte Cohol?
BabyBlue11371
11-07-2008, 10:05 AM
Thanks for the reply!!
The bag says "Product of Costa Rica"
Would a nanner producing this size fruit always be a shorter plant??
Growing waaaay north of the nanner belt I'd like to have more nanners that produce good fruit but are manageable size.. I have no "winter storage" area.. But have plenty of south windows and space for plants infront of them.. My laundry room has lots of window space and it is the warmest room in the house and very humid year round.. but the celing is the shortest in the house.. I kept my CG there last winter and it survived nicely.. But will not fit this year..
I was suprised that the taste was this good.. for some reason I thought the taste would be rather bland..
Thanks for input!!!
CG is putting out new pups!!! maybe I'll be able to find someone to swap a CG pup for a mini nanner pup like what produced these little sweeties..
Gina *BabyBlue*
lorax
11-07-2008, 10:12 AM
Nope, not necessarily. Here's an Orito plant, and it's more than 8 feet tall.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14409&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14409)
You'd probably do best with the Dwarf varieties, as their plants are smaller but their fruit size is not as affected by the lessened height. If you want little, sweet bananas, on a relatively short pstem, I'd reccomend a dwarf ladyfinger variety of some sort. I'm sure someone here has one for trade...
lorax
11-07-2008, 10:18 AM
This just in: Dole's website says the following about Baby Bananas -
Baby Bananas, also known as Oritos, Lady Fingers and Manzanos, received their name because they resemble the hands of small children--plump and short. These subtropical varieties of bananas are grown at higher altitudes. The peel has a yellow-pinkish cast. Quite sweet, these bananas taste best at full ripeness, when the peel is freckled with sugar spots.
I don't believe them about the Oritos, because by all reports the Baby Bananas sold in the US have different flesh qualities to the Oritos I buy in the market (way up there at the top of the thread.) I'm more convinced about the Ladyfingers designation.
BabyBlue11371
11-07-2008, 11:13 AM
I forgot these pics with last post..
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14407&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14407&ppuser=942)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14408&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14408&ppuser=942)
I was just discussing these nanners with hubby.. I was surprised to hear him say he likes the baby nanner flavor BETTER than the full sized!!!
Would be nice if Dole would nail it down to just one..
Thanks for the 411 about the orito.. My CG is in the front room this winter.. it's new leaves have to bend a bit when they hit the ceiling..
it is currently about 6' tall including pot.. not sure what I will do if it doesn't bloom next summer..
Gina *BabyBlue*
lorax
11-07-2008, 11:19 AM
You can prune it, you know, to reduce height.
gadget
11-24-2008, 09:58 PM
I have a good assortment of bananas this week.
I can usually find the Orinoco, baby, and plantain at the grocery store. To my delight I found red, manzano, and Hawaiian plantains. I should bring a banana sampler to the thanksgiving diner this year.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14623&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14623&ppuser=1269)
austinl01
11-24-2008, 10:03 PM
I was just discussing these nanners with hubby.. I was surprised to hear him say he likes the baby nanner flavor BETTER than the full sized!!!
I definitely agree with your husband. The minis are sooo much better.
Taylor
11-24-2008, 11:40 PM
I agree with your husband, Gina. The Minis are GREAT, much better than the regular.
I had them when I was in Florida, and I resent not buying their local produce at the store there. They had a large section of tropical fruits that I can not find here in Virginia. Like John, I typically go to the produce section, even locally, just to see if they have anything new. Unfortunately, it is rare to find anything other than the occasional mango (which I have never had...except preserved) and a few kiwi.
Simply Bananas
11-25-2008, 10:38 AM
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14640&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14640&ppuser=226)
From San Isidro de General, Costa Rica. Our favorite was a smaller slim banana with dry-ish yellow/orange flesh, not sure of the name. We spent most of the time in the Osa peninsula and got rattled by the earthquake.
I've got more pics and tales to come.
Gabe15
12-02-2008, 03:41 AM
I only buy bananas if its something interesting...
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=14698&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=14698)
(sorry, the rotate function seems to be down right now)
island cassie
03-14-2009, 04:14 PM
This is how we buy bananas and plantains, and this truck is in a better state than most fruit trucks.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16137&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16137&ppuser=628)
lorax
03-14-2009, 04:34 PM
We have those too! Ours are usually little old Datsun trucks and you can barely see them under the nanners....
island cassie
03-14-2009, 04:40 PM
I need to get my camera welded to my hand, as usually I never have it when I see things nana-related. Or else we are rocketing along at 100kph and the driver refuses to respond to screams of "stop the car".
lorax
03-14-2009, 04:42 PM
Same here. But hark! Today I bought an entire raceme of Oritos for $1.50, and as it came home with me I actually had my camera to take a photo of it...
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16138&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16138)
So what am I gonna do with all those nanners? Fritters!
island cassie
03-14-2009, 04:55 PM
That's what you have friends and neighbours for!! The price of bananas has rocketed here since the storms and floods caused so much damage, and regular nanas sell for the equivalent of 11 cents each, and people often buy them by the twos and threes - never tried to buy a whole bunch though - just too many! But those little oritos look yummy!
lorax
03-14-2009, 06:08 PM
$1.50 is actually an elevated price here for Oritos - if I were at the market at the other end of the city (which is a $5 cab ride from my house, rather than $2.50 to the one where I got these) that same raceme would have been about $0.50 - $0.75. And if you're buying from the roadside stands, that's about the price as well.
Normally, we just buy hands for about $1 - $1.50, but today for a lark we asked the seller the price of the raceme, and as it was what we were paying anyway, we figured "what the heck" and lugged it home.
lorax
03-15-2009, 01:53 AM
So move to the tropics!
Bananaman88
03-16-2009, 12:23 PM
So move to the tropics!
If it were only that easy.....
lorax
03-16-2009, 01:27 PM
It is that easy, duh.
Tog Tan
03-16-2009, 01:36 PM
It is that easy, duh.
You have to be HERE to be in the tropics Beth! You have no Tsunamis!:ha:
lorax
03-16-2009, 04:10 PM
Yeah yeah. I'm technically ecuatorial - I don't have to worry about the big winds. Even so!
Gabe15
03-26-2009, 12:46 PM
Some different bananas at the Hilo farmers market.
Left to right: Williams Cavendish, a Fe'i of some type (very rare to see here, this was the first time I ever got to try some Fe'i fruit!), Dwarf Brazilian.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16291&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16291&ppuser=5)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16292&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16292&ppuser=5)
Some type of Popo'ulu
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16293&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16293&ppuser=5)
Manzano (front, rounder fruit) and Dwarf Brazilian
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16294&ppuser=5><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16294&size=1 border=0></a>
Tog Tan
03-26-2009, 12:58 PM
Gabe, how would you rate the taste of the Fe'i against the Cav? Very, very curious. Btw, they look really nice.
Caloosamusa
03-26-2009, 01:08 PM
:2200:Good afternoon Gabe, Is it legal to bring bananas back to the mainland, or how does one get permitted to do so?:2239:
Gabe15
03-26-2009, 01:19 PM
:2200:Good afternoon Gabe, Is it legal to bring bananas back to the mainland, or how does one get permitted to do so?:2239:
You have to have them inspected at the airport.
Caloosamusa
03-26-2009, 01:23 PM
:2200:Good, then does your "student farm" sell Fei's with an Ag. Certification?:2239:
Gabe15
03-26-2009, 01:28 PM
Gabe, how would you rate the taste of the Fe'i against the Cav? Very, very curious. Btw, they look really nice.
Well, having tried so many different bananas, and having a love of bananas in general, I guess I just kinda appreciate them all for their differences more than liking anyone more than others based on taste alone (though, there are definitely some that stand out).
The Fe'i bananas are strange, from their genetics and history to the fruit in your mouth, they are a completely different story from other bananas. I can't say with confidence that the ones I had were at all similar to a Cavendish in any way. The flesh is bright yellow, very soft (kinda gummy, like a thick paste) and (to me) similar in flavor and texture to a ripe, raw breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis). It is sweet like a sweetpotato or ripe breadfruit, but not sweet and tangy like a dessert banana. It is slightly sour and a tiny bit astringent but not enough to put off eating it raw. I put some pieces in the microwave for cooking (my standard for sampling what a particular banana is like when cooked), and even though they were completely ripe and edible in a raw state, they cooked up like a standard cooking banana (I've never had a banana that cooked so nicely when ripe, the ripe state must still have a high starch content but still remain palatable if uncooked) and was then rather similar to other cooked bananas, but still a little sour and gummy, but agreeable. There are a few seeds in some of the fruits, but many are malformed and they are rather soft, unlike biting into some Musa seeds, these crunch up easily and do not distract from eating the fruit. I would say I liked these ones better cooked, but I might end up eating the rest of them raw so as to not damage any potentially viable seeds!
On a technical note, it appeared as though it had 4 locules per ovary as opposed to the standard 3. Without many seeds and only looking at a ripe fruit, its hard to tell if this was just an illusion or really something unique.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16295&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16295&ppuser=5)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16296&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16296&ppuser=5)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16297&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16297&ppuser=5)
Gabe15
03-26-2009, 01:36 PM
:2200:Good, then does your "student farm" sell Fei's with an Ag. Certification?:2239:
We don't have any rare bananas to sell right now, plants or fruits. Its easier to get the plants than the fruits though, and I have some plants of different Fe'i varieties but they are not for sale at this time.
Caloosamusa
03-26-2009, 01:46 PM
:abajo:Thank you, Please let me know when your student farm will have them ready. My wife and I now have more reasons to go to Hawaii.:2200:
Thank you and best wishes:2239:
momoese
03-26-2009, 01:56 PM
Very cool Gabe, I'd love to grow that indigenous fe'i. Please let me know if and when they become available.
Caloosamusa
03-26-2009, 02:08 PM
:2200:Now that I've considered it, are those pictures taken at a local farmers market? Does the Hawaian Fe'i, or any of the Fe'i cultivars show any cold tolerance? :2239:
Gabe15
03-26-2009, 02:20 PM
:2200:Now that I've considered it, are those pictures taken at a local farmers market? Does the Hawaian Fe'i, or any of the Fe'i cultivars show any cold tolerance? :2239:
As stated in the first post, these were at the Hilo farmers market. Fe'i bananas are relatively so rare and so poorly known, that the kind of horticultural information most growers will be wanting to know is simply not available. Its easier to say where they grow well in the Pacific, but as for making any guesses as to how they would do on the mainland US or Europe or anywhere were they are not already growing, you would have to try to find out. My inclination is to think that they are likely very tropical and not at all cold tolerant. They are not in any kind of wide circulation and they are mostly grown by local farmers scattered throughout the Pacific. The plants are extremely hard to come by at nurseries and botanic gardens, but they are out there.
lorax
03-26-2009, 02:53 PM
Wow, Gabe. When I've got my licenses, I'll trade you a your choice of Ecuadorean cultivars for a Fe'i.
Bananaman88
03-26-2009, 03:15 PM
Great pictures, Gabe. You just keep teasing me with these Feh'i types. Hopefully some day your plants will be ready for sale/trade. Again, thanks for sharing the pictures.
Thanks for the pictures, Gabe. Adding another type to my growing wish list.
Richard
03-26-2009, 08:04 PM
Ditto. Those are fantastic pictures! They made me hungry for some native fruit. Walking up my local hillside, all I find are sumac berries!
island cassie
03-26-2009, 08:20 PM
Hey Tog - my neighbour tells me we had a tsunami here in the 1950's whe he and his father had to ride their horses up into the hills to save themselves - so I guess we are in the tropics!
Gabe - great pics and information - thank you!
Gabe15
03-26-2009, 09:06 PM
Just a quick note on the photos:
You will see lots of interesting names for fruits and things out there, the label "Indigenous Banana" is in no way correct or informative given the circumstances it was found in. These fruits are not indigenous to Hawai'i, and even if they were there are much better names to give them, even if they were found in their country of origin. This is not a criticism of the grower/seller, it really doesn't even matter to those not interested in them to the level we are, but since we are mostly all banana nerds here, I just wanted to make that clear to the people reading these posts and looking at the photos.
Gabe15
03-27-2009, 12:36 PM
With all the interest in the Fe'i, I forgot to post this other photo. 'Bluefields' in the locally common name for 'Gros Michel' (aka 'Big Mike'). This was in the gift shop of the coffee mill (across from the 12 Trees project) on Napo'opo'o road.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16312&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16312&ppuser=5)
Tog Tan
03-27-2009, 12:59 PM
Kluay Hom Thong aka Thai Gros Michel sport
Just for comparison to Gabe's pix which is the real deal GM.
This is how they are packaged and sold in the Supermart in Thailand.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16281><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16313 border=0></a>
This is a pix of the fruits out of the bag. Four fruits cost approx 60 cents. I find the taste similar to the M'sian Pisang Berangan except that it is not as flavorful.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16313><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16314 border=0></a>
Caloosamusa
03-27-2009, 01:39 PM
I know they taste better than many bananas, but knowing the problems with growing "Big Mikes" takes away from the excitement. I do appreciate the pictures, they bring back childhood memories.:2239:
Thank you Banana Commander and Tog Tan!:2200:
john_ny
03-27-2009, 02:47 PM
A picture of Gros Michel, in Saint Lucia, from the late 1970s.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=6988&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=6988&ppuser=826)
Gabe15
03-27-2009, 04:45 PM
I know they taste better than many bananas, but knowing the problems with growing "Big Mikes" takes away from the excitement. I do appreciate the pictures, they bring back childhood memories.:2239:
Thank you Banana Commander and Tog Tan!:2200:
There is only a problem in growing them if you have panama disease in your area, in which case there are many bananas that are just as hard to grow. If you don't have panama disease in your soil, then you can grow it just like any other variety. The plant is not extinct or rare as some would have you believe, it is just not grown as the #1 export banana anymore.
bigdog
03-27-2009, 05:35 PM
Gabe, thanks for the interesting photos! Real eye-catchers, despite how good or bad they taste, and would be worth growing just for curiosity's sake and for conservation efforts. Is anybody doing work with conservation of Fe'i?
Tog Tan
03-29-2009, 10:57 AM
I dropped by my fav 'naner stall in a kampong (village) on my way to the nursery today. This is the store area where they keep all the unripe 'naners. I know the owners so well that I just go to the back and cut whatever I want and then have them weighed up front. I go to this place every week on the way to the nursery and they have as many as 15 different heirloom 'naner cultivars which are not found elsewhere. Darn cheap too.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16331><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16331&size=1 border=0></a>
I am holding 2 bunches of the Pisang Lang, a plantain. This is the commercial version of the famed Pisang Tanduk which produces about 12 - 15 fruits. The Pisang Tanduk only produce 3-5 huge fruits.
Key words in Malay
Pisang = Banana
Lang = Eagle, shape of comb with fruits like the eagle's talons.
Tanduk = Horns as in the Buffalo's huge horns.
Caloosamusa
03-29-2009, 12:21 PM
:abajo: Good afternoon everyone, Gabe, the Fe'i seeds from the pictures the other day, are they soaking or planted yet?
"Gabe, thanks for the interesting photos! Real eye-catchers, despite how good or bad they taste, and would be worth growing just for curiosity's sake and for conservation efforts. Is anybody doing work with conservation of Fe'i?" by Bigdog 3-27-09.
We are interested in their progress, and yours! :2200:
Best wishes!!:2239:
island cassie
03-29-2009, 12:22 PM
Tog - fascinating variety in that picture!
Gabe15
03-29-2009, 12:42 PM
Gabe, thanks for the interesting photos! Real eye-catchers, despite how good or bad they taste, and would be worth growing just for curiosity's sake and for conservation efforts. Is anybody doing work with conservation of Fe'i?
There are some programs and initiatives to conserve Fe'i bananas and then reintroduce them and promote them in areas (mostly in the Pacific for as far as I know) with vitamin A deficiency since they provide so many nutrients. There is also a program here in HI I am getting involved with in getting Fe'i and Hawaiian traditional bananas to the ITC in Belgium.
:abajo: Good afternoon everyone, Gabe, the Fe'i seeds from the pictures the other day, are they soaking or planted yet?
I only have a very small number of them, and of the ones that came from the cooked fruit all were nonviable (no embryos or endosperm). I don't know if I will try planting them or try embryo rescue. I don't think any of them have embryos, and I want to hold onto a few intact seeds for reference anyways.
alpha010
03-30-2009, 02:59 PM
I dropped by my fav 'naner stall in a kampong (village) on my way to the nursery today. This is the store area where they keep all the unripe 'naners. I know the owners so well that I just go to the back and cut whatever I want and then have them weighed up front. I go to this place every week on the way to the nursery and they have as many as 15 different heirloom 'naner cultivars which are not found elsewhere. Darn cheap too.
<a href=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=16331><img src=http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=16331&size=1 border=0></a>
I am holding 2 bunches of the Pisang Lang, a plantain. This is the commercial version of the famed Pisang Tanduk which produces about 12 - 15 fruits. The Pisang Tanduk only produce 3-5 huge fruits.
Key words in Malay
Pisang = Banana
Lang = Eagle, shape of comb with fruits like the eagle's talons.
Tanduk = Horns as in the Buffalo's huge horns.
*wink,wink* any way to get some of those native cultivars here in the U.S.???? I may be able to get underground contacts.......lol!
Shaggy
harveyc
04-03-2009, 12:22 PM
Hey, Gabe, Ken Love tells me you and other students visited him last week. Hope you saw some interesting things.
Anyways, he made this comment about the photo of the fe'i bananas, etc.:
the fei and others shown from the Hilo market are from a farm that used to be owned by a couple called “The Swedes” they retired a few years ago. He collected a number of bananas and actively sold them at the market— even advertised on the radio.
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