California Gold
 

I know that this type of banana has be discussed a lot on this forum. I was just curious what it tasted like compared to a normal cavendish. There seems to be one on eBay now but I am not sure how to tell if it is really a cal gold or not. Does the price seem right?
Musa "California Gold" "Rare" "Dwarf", 5-6FT, Cold Hardy Banana Plant, W/SOIL. | eBay

Re: California Gold
 

It tastes like Orinoco.

Re: California Gold
 

A cali gold is supposed to be a dwarf orinoco or an orinoco variant. The price on ebay is very high; near $50 with shipping. There are members on this forum that have cali-gold plants or corms for half that price with shipping.

Re: California Gold
 

I would love to get in touch about getting one. The price seemed pretty high even for something that cold hardy.

Re: California Gold
 

It's nowhere near hardy enough for Portland. You'll have to overwinter it indoors ... and if you're going to to that then you might as well get something that tastes good. Don't buy into the hype.

Re: California Gold
 

Thanks for the clarification. People do grow basjoos here but maybe they are more hardy.

Re: California Gold
 

Yes, the ornamental banana Basjoo is far more hardy! There are folks growing it outdoors year-round in zone 7b.

Re: California Gold
 

Look in the forum 'Banana for sale'. Send PMs to the thread authors.
Also, pukpukz or Nicolas Naranja may have what you want. Send them a PM.

I've read that Cal-Gold has been successfully grown & fruited in Seattle. The Orinoco that I have eaten and grown are sweet with slight apple flavor and nice texture. Among the Orinoco varieties, there may be some flavor differences, but this I'm not sure of. ... There may be 'better tasting' banana varieties but those tend to be more labor intensive and difficult to grow in Zone 8. So don't pay any attention the the self-appointed Banana Police on the forum. Makeup your own mind.

Re: California Gold
 

Thanks for all the input and advice!!

Re: California Gold
 

Hello, I just bought that one California Gold that was on ebay. I needed to replace a few bananas that did not survive the mini winter we had down here in SE Texas. I know I could have bought a cheaper corm but I really prefer to get a plant, especially one that is about 6ft tall already. I am in Zone 9a so hopefully I can get fruit out of this one without resorting to trying to fight mother nature for the every once in a while freezes we have each year.

Re: California Gold
 

Congratulations. You just bought an Orinoco.

Re: California Gold
 

I had some Columbian gold once, but that was a long time ago and not a banana.. :D

Re: California Gold
 

Here's what survived our recent freeze in southwest Louisiana. We were 23 one night and 26 the next with 15 hours below freezing the first night:

California Gold, Dwarf Brazilian, Goldfinger, Sweetheart, 1000 fingers, 1780, and Seminole. All are in protected locations either against the southern wall of my house or inside a fenced in area around a pool. None were protected. The first one that showed signs of regrowth from an existing pseudostem was Dwarf Brazilian followed by Goldfinger. California Gold was the last. I think most folks would say the taste of Dwarf Brazilian is better than any Orinoco variant. You should try DB or Goldfinger. If you're in southeast Texas, your zone is identical to mine.

Steve

Re: California Gold
 

I am going to try some ice cream bananas. I am going to plant some outside and some in pots and see if they survive. I am getting the feeling cold hardy is a relative term.

Re: California Gold
 

sometimes it is about location. in this part of florida you would want to plant your orange tree on the south south east side of a large tree hopefully one that stays green all year long. this keeps the frost off and it has a good chance of surviving. plant one out in the open you are going to kiss it good bye eventually. good luck, all you can do is try and find out.

Re: California Gold
 

If you want an authentic Blue Java Ice Cream make sure you get it from a member here on the org who has fruited it.

Ice cream is the most mislabeled banana there is. If you buy one that is a TC say by agristarts it is not an ice cream. It is a Tall Namwa. Which is a great banana but not what it's being sold as.

Going bananas is the only one I've heard of who TC the real ice cream. And I can't confirm that.

I can say how much I love my tall namwas (which I bought as ice cream from Florida hill nursery when I knew nothing about bananas) they are one of my favorite growers. They make giant bunches of decent tasting fruit.

Re: California Gold
 

Ditto for Goldfinger. It is typically Namwa.

Re: California Gold
 

I used to have an eye on the "real deal" California Gold. The grower of the original CG is Jeff Earl in Northern California. In 2016 I have not seen any of his CG pups offered on ebay, but in past years the prices for a pup of his real ones were between $130 and $210 depending on ebay bidding wars.
Over the years I have found out that I can grow better tasting varieties than Orinoco or varieties with Orinoco taste ;)

Re: California Gold
 

Yes the prices were ridiculous. Don't waste your money, if you plan on getting one get it for free. I stumbled upon some in Cuba a few years ago. Not a favourite.

Re: California Gold
 

Oh man. I didn't know that when I got them I got 4 tissue cultured ice creams for 20 bucks from Hello Organics on eBay. I hope they are legit. No worries if they are not. I will find some later. Maybe if I get some verification they are not ice cream I can get a refund lol.