edzone9

Ok Gang;

So this is my 2nd Oronoco harvest, Last year I tried to eat it as desert banana, Not good tasting, But this year I decided to try it as a cooking banana, so my wife and I cooked up some red beans with olives , garlic a little sofrito and diced Oronoco ..

They where the best beans that we ever tasted alone with some white Organic Jazmin rice and a few slices of Avocado..

I believe the Oronoco would be great for the pastels !..
We will be making lots of those this X-Mas ..

Ed

2woodensticks

not good tasting???how long were they on the bunch before you cut them??I LOVE fresh orinocos..best banana flavor..are you sure they are orinocos??next year i will bring you some of mine..

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got to love em..{neotropical rattlesnake..cascabell}

edzone9

Pretty sure they are .

servatusprime

Hmmm. It might be the photo, but those look a little skinny which could affect flavor. I also find them agreeable for eating fresh out of hand.

venturabananas

This one seems to be a variety that people really disagree over as a dessert fruit. I think they are pretty bad as a dessert fruit and got rid of them from my yard because of that. I can't get over the terrible, squishy texture. On the other hand, the best maduros I've had (limited experience, I'll admit) have been made with Orinoco. To each their own...

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edzone9

I Agree with Ventura 100%, I removed all Oronoco to make room for tastier Banana's , And Some French Red Plantains That I will be getting From PR Giant ! ...

Guys I will give the Oronoco another try when they ripen up ..

Thanks For your help..

Ed

servatusprime

Well they aren't the best dessert banana ever but they do seem to be more cold tolerant so I think that's the key to their popularity.

venturabananas

I agree. That and the fact that Orinoco or closely related Bluggoe cultivars have been available in the US for a long time relative to others.

For dessert fruit in areas where cold is a problem, personally I'd go with Pisang Awak ("Namwah") cultivars. I don't have freezing temperatures where I live, but when it gets down into the 30's and 40's, they do as well or better than Orinoco, taste better (to me), and ripen faster.

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servatusprime

Very much agree. I think namwah should be the recommended "go to" banana for most amateur gardeners before venturing to other and usually more sensitive varieties.

Pancrazio

I agree, DN seems somehow more cold tolerant than orinoco, and overall more stress tolerant (including drought and transplant). However, and i must admit I'm not completely sure on this, I think that dwarf orinoco is relatively smaller than dwarf namwah and more manageable if you have to move it around; so, it may still have and edge over dwarf namwah on those who have space issues.

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Italian fruit forum

edzone9

I have both, but I'm thinking my 3640 has shown to be more Cold Hardy then ORI-Namwah , I cut all burn leaves from all my Banana Plants 2 Days Ago & The 1st Ones to send up new leaves are both My 3640's..

There taking the lead .
Ed

hydroid

Not real fond of the flavor and texture of the Orinoco but always recommend it as a beginner grower to folks just getting started or lacking the green thumb, they're durable and easiest to grow has ben my experience. Have to agree about the DN, it's my new "go to" banana.

edzone9

The Namwah are ripening fasttttttttt..

My 1st taste was good , I like the texture of the namwah, but I need to wait a lil more till they get sugar spots

Ed