Banana Harvest Question

[Dirt Diva]

We have a large stand of finger bananas that are 15-20 feet tall. We were told we were buying Ice Cream banana, but now I am thinking it is really Nam Wa. It doesn't really matter because they are delicious !!

We have a bunch of bananas with about 10 hands with 12-16 bananas in each hand. Last year we could not eat them all and gave away loads to friends and co-workers and still had some go to waste.

So this year we don't want to cut the whole bunch down at once,  and we need your advise.

Can we pull just a hand or 2 at a time to ripen and extend the harvest ?

if so, should we clip from the top or the bottom of the bunch ?

Should we cut off the blossom or leave it ?

In the past, we have cut down the tree that bore fruit and chopped it into pieces to fertilize the rest of the stand. So every time they bear fruit, we have cut that tree down. This year we need to cut away some pups as there is very little space in that corner. . . I love abundance.

Thanks for your input and Happy Gardening !
P J, the Dirt Diva

[spaugh]

You can clip the ones that yellow first, they may appear in the middle of the rack.  Its not that easy on namwahs because they are really tightly bunched. 

If you remove the flower its supposed to direct energy to the fruit.  If you dont want so many fruit next time cut the rack in half when it is just forming and the remaining ones gwt bigger and you have less bananas. 

You can also peel and then vacuum pack the bananas and freeze them.  Thats what we do with it and then use it to make smoothies or popsicles for the kids. 

[bsbullie]

Not recommended.

[Epicatt2]

I bought a Double Mahoi but it was mislabeled and is apparently a Dwarf Brazilian but it has been my best blooming banana cultivar.  All I have to do to get it to produce fruit is to just keep dumping fertilizer on it and keep it well watered.

Anyway, I cut the stalk of bananas once they have filled out but are still green.   I hang the stalk somewhere in the shade and in a cool place if possible.  The blossom gets cut off, too, and can be cooked as a fresh veggie, if you like.

At first only a couple bananas a day will turn yellow and those can be used and eaten at that time.

But eventually all the rest on the stalk will start to turn yellow en masse, often in just two or three days.  One of the things I do with all those bananas that have ripened all together is to make banana jam with them.  (Hey, there's only so much banana bread you can get away with making at one time!)

The banana jam is easy to make and will keep in your 'fridge for a good while.  And if you have too much banana jam a few extra jars can be given to your neighbors.

If making banana bread or banana jam doesn't appeal to you I found a really great banana cookbook with many different kinds of recipes good for using up excess bananas.  It's called GOING BANANAS, by Susan Quick.  It is out-of-print but there are still used copies to be had on Amazon, ABE Books, or eBay.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

[EddieF]

I cut 1 hand at a time starting from bottom (flower gets cut off soon as its done making fruit) whenever i can but usually the whole bunch comes at once cause tree decides to break.  Mine are only 8-10' tall.
I wash bunch with hose, cut each hand off, wash 1 more time in sink & hang hands from coffee mug holders.  Small pieces of rope hold hands to holders. 
Takes mine 2-3 weeks to ripen.  Never turned yellow on tree.

[Dirt Diva]

Thanks for all the input.

P J

[Epicatt2]

Eddie is right, Dirt Diva.  The bananas tend to stay green on the tree.

In fact for most varieties they should be harvested while all are green.  And that is done after all the fruit has plumped up fully.

OK — HTH

Paul M.
==

[pineislander]

If you really want to cut a hand at a time start with the top one it formed first and will usually ripen first.
However, with Nam Wah they become very fragile when ripening. I would cut it all and separate the hands from the bunch these get really fragile and practically fall off very easy when ripe. When they fall off the skin peels and they spoil easily.

[RodneyS]

I just leave the bunch on the tree, and cut what bananas I can to ripen faster. 

I cut the flower when the fruit have all sized up, usually giving away to people that eat banana flower

[gnappi]

I also cut tbe flower and harvest whatever starts to change color.