Bananas

Bananas are bright yellow fruits about 8 inches long, right? Yes, in the United States. They come complete with a Dole, Del Monte or Chiquita sticker. However that is not true in the rest of the world. Bananas come in four colors: yellow, red, purple and green. Someone told me there are 42 different varieties of bananas, but I haven’t been able to confirm that. We have seen several different types of bananas in Kitale.

Russ, another MKLM, runs a program for street children. They have their own banana plantation at Don Bosco. I’m guessing there are at least 30 banana trees in their grove producing bananas for their children. Not only did we get to see the trees, but actually taste some of the fruit.

Joseph, the groundskeeper, is probably about six feet tall. See how small he looks standing next to the plants? They can grow to a height of twenty to twenty-five feet. Now look at the ground. There is maize (corn) planted between the trees. In another section of the plantation, there are pumpkins. Both are food staples. Not only is the pumpkin eaten, but the leaves are cooked as greens and the flowers and seeds are also used for food.

Here is a short lesson about bananas. First of all, they don’t actually grow on trees. Instead, they are the largest herbaceous flowering plant known. The trunk is hollow and doesn’t have any wood in it at all. That’s why the trees blow over so easily during a storm. The trunk is basically a stem that supports the fruit. After the tree has produced the banana crop, that stem is dead and needs to be cut down. Once cut, another sucker will start growing to produce another crop in a years time.

Do you see the bright purple flower at the base of the bunch of bananas? It’s called the banana heart and is also edible. At first it is a tight cone, but as the bananas ripen, the flowers open from the bottom upwards. When all the petals have opened, the fruit is ripe and it’s time to cut the bunch from the tree.

Each banana is called a finger. Depending on the variety of banana, the finger could be anywhere from three inches long to about twelve inches. The sweetness and starch content of the fruit also varies.

Another member of the banana family is the plantain. They are a starch and need to be prepared like potatoes, boiled, baked, or fried.

Bananas and plantains are important as a food source for Eastern Africa as well as Southwest Asia. It has been estimated that the annual consumption is 99 pounds a year in East Africa, most being produced on small farms. They are especially valuable because they produce fruit year-round, not just once a year as most crops. India, not Brazil, is the largest producer of bananas in the world.

Banana fiber from the trunk and leaves are also used to make beautiful artwork, paper and even clothing. We’ve already bought several to decorate our house.