Relax...eat a banana....

Hi BM
Great info - I'll never be ill again. :D :D
The other year I read two research articles about mosquitos (whatever turns you on!!) and they said that mosquitos love bananas and, if you've eaten them, can smell it on your skin from two miles away. They said that if you are going to tropical areas and have a tendency to be bitten by mosquitos you should not eat bananas. They also said that eating Marmite will keep the mosquitos away. Apparently this research was to do with malaria.
Whilst we were away this winter we toured a banana plantation and it was very interesting. They also showed us how they are very careful about picking them because snakes love to sleep on the bananas. Do you have trouble with snakes on your bananas? :D :D

Hi michaelmasdaisy
I heard on the radio yesterday that Sainsbury only sell fairtrade bananas. Do you know if this is true?

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shiney

 

Hi BM

We went to two banana plantations. One in Guatemala and one in Costa Rica. I didn't get any good photos - sorry I should have thought about taking some for you.

Here's a photo of a feral one - well it was growing in the wild.




and a slightly blurred one of some in captivity and wearing their blue condoms.



The 'condoms' are put on them to contain the anti-insect mixture and to keep birds out. In most countries the have an insecticide put in them but in Costa Rica they are trying to be greener so use a mixture of Tea Tree plus another natural insecticide (can't remember what) plus lard!!! They say that this works well but they still have to add a small amount of insecticide.

When they pick them they are then put through a chlorinated wash to totally disinfect them and then stored in sealed containers at 17 degrees C where they will keep for 3 months. The plantations only get five dollars per bunch - about 100 lbs in weight. Before they cut the bunches from the plants (in all the countries we went to they emphasised that bananas are really plants and not trees - although everyone calls them trees) they cut half way through the main stem of the 'tree' so that the trunk leans over. Then they lift the condom with a hooked pole and look for snakes. They can see the bunch much better with the trunk leaning over.

They make use of nearly all the banana plant. Fresh leaves are used for thatch and old leaves are used as mulch.

That's all I can remember from our guided tour.

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shiney

 

Hi FANCY
Your right, banana 'trees' only produce once and then die, that is why they are technically plants and not trees. They still look like trees to me. The plantations don't have a problem with that because the 'trees' have young plants growing to replace the one that dies each year. They told me that when the trees produce more than one young plant it takes an expert eye to tell which is the best to keep.

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shiney

 

BM
I don't know, but from the workers' reactions I think they are nasty ones! :eek: :eek: :eek: :D

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shiney