sillygabi

Hey all!

I am a beginner banana aficionado (although I've no experience growing them yet, sadly) and I've been obsessed with Gros Michel/Bluefields bananas ever since I heard they taste similar to artificial banana flavoring, definitely my #1 favorite flavor on this planet to date, no exaggeration!

I know it isn't commercially cultivated anymore due to Panama Disease, but I've long held out hope of locating an individual who grows them on their own for fun/as a hobby and purchasing one from them to try. (Please note I mean the banana itself as I don't have the space & resources to grow the plants yet.)

While I currently live in Phoenix, Arizona, my husband and I will be visiting Kauai, Hawaii in two months for our honeymoon, and I've heard chatter that this may be one of the best locations to search for Bluefields nanas. We already plan to visit every Farmer's Market on the island (one per day for a week), but I still fear it may be time wasted due to its generalized scarcity.

Does anybody have any information to help us on our quest to try one of the world's best-tasting fruits? We would be ecstatic to even have one or two shipped to us if there aren't any Gros Michel enthusiasts near Arizona or Kauai!

Richard

It's dead in Pheonix unless you have a $50k greenhouse and $1k/mo. extra to spend on utility bills.

If you just want to taste quality bananas, then take a trip down Hana road on Maui.

There are several bananas that taste better than Gros Michael, you are likely to encounter a few of them on your trip.

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sillygabi

Indeed, I understand the plant wouldn't grow in Phoenix without copious water and resources (i.e. a greenhouse), hence my request to merely find the fruit itself for now. Someday in the future maybe I'll be able to grow my own, but until then I must search for a hobbyist who has already done so.

As for better tasting bananas, are they really better than the "artificial banana flavor" taste that was supposedly based on the Gros Michel variety? Perhaps it's subjective, but for myself personally I've long considered the artificial flavor of banana candy, drinks etc. to be the best I've tasted to date.

Thank you for the tip about Hana road on Maui. Do you know of people who grow Bluefields in particular there, or is it just a variety of nice tasting bananas in general? I ask because we weren't really looking to island hop due to financial constraints so I was hoping to find one in Kauai if at all possible, but if you're certain Bluefields in particular can be found on Maui it might be worth the extra expense.

edwmax

Send a PM to robguz24

He can help you and might have the bananas. He is located in Kalapana, Hawaii. This a link to his Seaview Farms with more details.

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sillygabi

I appreciate the link, but upon a quick review of Seaview Farms' website it looks like he doesn't want people contacting him specifically about Gros Michels anymore. (Thank you anyways!)

edwmax

I think he may be able to tell you where to find them on the island, if he doesn't have some on hand. You stated you were looking for Bluefields too. He sales all his fruit and plants locally. Thus, no mail order. .... Just let him know you are coming to Hawaii for a Honeymoon.

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sputinc7

People sell bananas in their yards all over Kauai, so don't pass up a small road leading into the mountains. Hawaiian apple bananas, i.e. Brazilians are popular there as well and they are tasty. It's hard to beat Gros Michel but a couple do, not many, though... Ask at the fruit stands you will find all over the island and they may help you find what you are looking for.

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Varieties I supposedly bought: Manzano, Cavendish, Blue Java, Sweetheart, and Gros Michel.
What it seems I actually have: Brazilian, Cavendish, Namwah, Dwarf Red, Gros Michel, Pisang Ceylon, Veinte Cohol and SH 3640, and American Goldfinger. FHIA 1, Paggi and FHIA 17... Always room for one more.

robguz24

You're unlikely to find Gros Michel anywhere in Hawaii. I don't know that I've ever seen it except from a banana grower who is no longer at markets, and a few times in one health food store nearby. I have it a couple times a year but not anytime soon.

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Juicy Bananas

They are kind of gross, no? Don't they taste just like a Cavendish? Apple is far better eating quality on my opinion.