The Popular Banana

Bananas. Okay, first off, we do not grow bananas in Desert Aire. But I love this fruit, don't you? Eaten plain, sliced on cereal, used for banana splits, milk shakes and smoothies, added to fruit salads, mashed in cakes, cookies, and breads, the list goes on. Some use the banana peels for facials and puffy eyes. Gardeners, you can even chop the peels and place on top of the soil to decompose and release nutrients (please do not place near plant stems for best results 😏). 

Banana is the one fruit we most likely take for granted in the supermarket. For me, it's always, "Are we out of bananas?" I seldom leave the small store in Mattawa (Harvest Foods) without a fresh bunch. At home even the overripe bananas get eaten eventually. Frozen in baggies, they become mashed ingredients for muffins, corn bread, pancakes and more. Delicious!

Did you know that a banana tree can grow 10 to 26 feet tall? One cluster alone contains 50 to 150 bananas. Packed full of nutrition, bananas are an excellent source of B6, as well as potassium, manganese, vitamin C, copper, biotin and dietary fiber. 

Unless you are one of the unlucky ones who is allergic to this yummy fruit, the health benefits are impressive. Cardiovascular protection due to the fruit's potassium and fiber content for one, and protection from ulcers. Further, bananas can help with constipation, and promote good eyesight, bone growth, and kidney health. What's not to like?

Malaysia can take credit for the origin of bananas some 4,000 years ago, where it was first noted. From there the banana tree spread to nearby Philippines and India. Bananas were later discovered in Africa in 1482 and brought to the Americas by Spanish explorers in the 1500s where they planted banana trees in the Caribbeans. But it was not until the 19th century that bananas became available in the United States. Today bananas are primarily grown in Mexico, Costa Rica, Brazil and Ecuador.

Here's a fun Banana Recipe: 🍌

"Banana Dressing with Poppy Seeds"

1 banana (ripe)

1 cup (8 oz.) sour cream 

1/4 cup sugar 

1 tablespoon poppy seeds 

1 tablespoon lemon juice 

1 teaspoon dry mustard 

3/4 teaspoon salt

Mash bananas in a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Chill for 30 minutes. This is great on salad greens, fruit, and as a dip. Yield: 1-3/4 cups. Enjoy!

More fun...😄

Banana Jokes:

Question: What did the boy banana say to the girl banana?
Answer: "You have a lot of appeal."

Question: If a crocodile makes shoes, what does a banana make?
Answer: Slippers!

Banana Movies: (Remember these?)

--Bananas (Woody Allen movie) 1971

 --Herbie Goes Bananas 1980
(Herbie the VW has a wild adventure)

Banana Books:

--Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World
by Dan Koeppel (2008) (adult nonfiction)

--Anna Banana: 101 Jump Rope Rhymes
by Joanna Cole and Alan Tiegreen (2010) (ages 4-8)

Banana Songs:

(Beetlejuice fans.......Remember this?)

"Day-O" (Banana Boat Song) by Harry Belafonte
(from the movie Beetlejuice - 1988)