S/v Encanto, Judy Chan
Underway from Panama City to Ecuador
12 June 20060400 bored while on watch....so, why not write about bananas!
PS: This entry is dedicated to Valerie. Who knows why!Ok, so a week ago we went to the Farmers Market in Panama City, Mercado Abasco. And I (and others) had great visions of slowly eating bananas for two weeks, daily picking fruit, that were ripened to perfection, one by one or rung by rung. Bananas being the most wonderful of fruits. Self contained in its own wrapper; how convenient, no fuss, no mess. Full of nutritional value and a quick energy food. And, recently found to help regulate high blood pressure and strengthen muscle structure. Bananas are also the most popular fruit in the USA.
Of course, our stalk held WELL OVER, 100 tiny fingers, aka "ninos" size bananas. The first day, this family of four, ate two per person. Well, I lie, Sami ate four or six in a sitting as they were sweet and scrumptious. Ok, so now we have 88 left, plus or minus a few dozen. This is not a scientific experiment; accuracy is not essential.
We had been advised to dip the entire stalk, top to bottom in salt water, thus ensuring us that no Tarantulas or bugs lay sleeping and them being pests that harbor hopes to hop aboard an unsuspecting vessel. So, the Captain wrestled the three foot beast off the stern swim ladder and dunked the beast in a bath of salt water. I had found an old, white, cotton sleeping bag duffel with a draw string to house the stalk. We had been told that if we protect the stalk from sun exposure, the green bananas would not ripen all at once, but rung by rung, only those exposed to the sun would ripen. On close inspection, you'll notice that bananas grow in rings of bunches, around a central stalk. Sounded simple. Just reveal a ring as you wanted them ripen.
In concept this all sounded terrific. We had a 12 to 14 day passage and fresh fruit every day, fresh firm bananas every day, would be great.
Well, hung from the stern, protected from the sun, within two days, the green bananas were yellow, some with small brown spots. By day four they started to voluntarily drop from the stalk and into the bag, yellow with large brown patches. By day five, the stalk was bear and all the weight of the remaining 70 bananas lay in a contained heap in the bottom of the duffel bag. Banana mush? Not quite, but close to it. When I asked the Captain to bring me, six bananas to add to the lunch meal, he brought me the whole bag. I spent the next hour sorting bananas. Many were yellow and brown spotted, but still firm on the inside. Others, became our daily donation to the sea gods.
What remained are in jars, in the refrigerator, awaiting reincarnation as banana bread pudding, banana pancakes, banana smoothies, banana muffins and of course, banana bread. Bonkers over Bananas We Be.
So, what happen? Why didn't they last for more than five days? I turned to my on board library (Yes, I do own a book called, Go Bananas by Susan Quick) and this is what I found out....
My 36" stalk was laden with small 4" to 6" bananas, also known as, "ninos" or "ladyfinger" which are reputed to be sweet and fragrant but, are more fragile in transport and ripen quickly. Thus, the exportation of them is limited. So, we chose a variety that ripens quickly. Bummer!
The bananas we are use to seeing in the USA markets are called, Cavendish. A variety that is picked green and from field to market has a several weeks ripening time horizon which makes them the perfect export fruit. They prefer life at 60 degrees, not 80 degrees. Cooler temperatures slow the ripening process. The Cavendish are the bananas to which Latin America received the title "Banana Republic". Like duh!
Plantains are the most durable and hardy as they can take forever to ripen and are best as a cooking banana, not a dessert banana or hand fruit.
There is a variety known as Ecuadorian Red Bananas which are medium size, thicker in girth than the Cavendish with the obviously distinctive red skin. They are tasty and may be a candidate for another try at the great passage banana stalk experiment. Another try??? The book tells me that they ripen more slowly than the Cavendish, and are the same or better flavor than the Cavendish.
At $3.00/stalk it might be worth the experiment to take some Ecuadorian Red Bananas with us to the Galapagos. Just have to figure out a way to keep the banana stalk away from high heat and direct sunlight.
And for those of you with a freezer, my book, On Keeping Food Fresh, says that bananas can be stored for three months at 0 degrees F. My mom use to dip the bananas in chocolate sauce, roll them in chopped peanuts, wrap them in aluminum foil, toss it in the freezer and then serve them to us as summer frozen treats. Yummy.
Bottom Line....don't give up on bananas stalks as good underway fruits. There are between 300 to 500 varieties of bananas, so we just have to find the right stalks with the right texture, flavor and ripening durability for a boat underway.
"Banana a day keeps the doctor away"...or was that the apple that cornered that reputation? Our apples are doing fine. As are our kiwis and pears...much longer shelf/boat life while underway.... Pineapples, cantaloupe, avocados and papayas did not last beyond five days after their boarding the boat.
Enough, I've gone bananas on bananas!
Time to get some much needed rest.....