Not impressed with Ice Cream banana

[BestDay]

Well, after looking endlessly for the real Ice Cream banana I finally found it.  I then grew it to fruiting size only to have it blow over in a strong wind.  So I waited for it to grow it to fruiting size again.  It has now fruited for the second time and the bananas are ripening as we speak.  This whole process has probably taken three years.  After all this time and work and suspense all I can say is "What a let down".  The bananas really aren't that good.  The peal if very difficult to peal off.  It keeps breaking off instead of peeling off.  Once I do manage to peel the banana strings from the peel are all over the fruit.  Once I peel these off, the fruit is just OK.  It does have a lighter more creamy texture but not in a good way.  Mushy might be a better way to describe it instead of creamy.  And to add to all this the core of the fruit is firm.  It is the only banana I have ever had that I eat around the core and throw it out when done.  I have tried eating these bananas a little under ripe and a little over ripe trying to find the right timing but nothing seems to help.  I think I'm going to give the plant another chance to fruit but if I get the same result I'm going to pull it.  Right now I'm hoping that this is just a bad batch of fruit since they hung on the plant all winter.  Only time will tell.

Has anyone else had a different experience with the real Ice Cream banana?

Bill

[Frog Valley Farm]

🗯

[00christian00]

I don't have it, but I often read people saying that you don't want the real ice cream, cause it's much worse than the fake one, not good tasting.

[FruitFreak]

The peal if very difficult to peal off.  It keeps breaking off instead of peeling off.  Once I do manage to peel the banana strings from the peel are all over the fruit.  Once I peel these off, the fruit is just OK.  It does have a lighter more creamy texture but not in a good way.  Mushy might be a better way to describe it instead of creamy.  And to add to all this the core of the fruit is firm.  It is the only banana I have ever had that I eat around the core and throw it out when done.

Sucks to hear you are not happy with your Blue Java.  Your descriptions don't seem to Jive with my experiences with the fruit however it could have to do with environmental factors but who knows.  The Blue Javas I have tried were easy to peel with no stringiness.  The fruit was slightly firm with a fluffy texture once chewed.  Very pleasant to eat.

[MarvelMango]

I don't like Ice cream banana either. I find them mushy like you say.  Namwa or apple are much better bananas imo.

[BestDay]

Yes the difference could be environmental.  SoCal especially coastal where I am does not get nearly the heat of Hawaii or Florida.  I'll post some pictures of the fruit.

Bill

[spaugh]

How can one tell if they have the real or the fake ice cream banana?  Or tell if the plant that is labeled ice cream banana at the nursery is real or fake?

[BestDay]

Here is a picture of my Ice Cream bananas.




I don't know how to tell the difference between the fake and real Ice Cream banana plants.  I don't think there is a way to.  I have the fake and real Ice Cream growing next to each other and I can't tell the difference.  You have to wait until the plant fruits.  The fruits are very different.  The fake Ice Cream flesh is dense and orange or rose colored.  The real Ice Cream has a white and fluffy, creamy or mushy flesh.  The fake Ice Cream fruit is green while hanging on the plant and the real Ice Cream is bluish.

Bill

[fyliu]

Sounds like you have the real Ice Cream banana. Bluish tint is right. I don't know if there are other bananas that are similar.

[Chupa King]

Ice cream bananas are amazing. Many things you can do with them. They are best frozen, they take an amazing flavor. Ive got 35 varieties and it is near the top of the list. They are leaning bananas so you absolutely have to prop them.


More organic matter, maybe a little fertilizer, and more water and they should taste a little better. The strings and softness and apart of its characteristic.

[Ulfr]

I love blue java and while I am horrible at describing taste they are certainly different here than you have had there. Really sorry to hear that. The only thing I don't like about them is having to prop them up. Every time I haven't they have fallen over.

[SonnyCrockett]

Just thought about digging my Ice Creams up today.  Not sure if something stunted their growth, but my Dwarf Nam Wahs grew MUCH faster and I've heard DNW fruit is better anyway.

[geosulcata]

Sounds like you let them get too ripe. When eaten at the proper time, the fruit is fluffy (not mushy) and delicious.

[Ulfr]

Just thought about digging my Ice Creams up today.  Not sure if something stunted their growth, but my Dwarf Nam Wahs grew MUCH faster and I've heard DNW fruit is better anyway.

Interestingly I planted both from tissue culture at exactly the same time and the ice cream banana beat the dnw to fruiting by a fair margin (fruited in the first year, the namwah took until the second spring).

[SonnyCrockett]

Just thought about digging my Ice Creams up today.  Not sure if something stunted their growth, but my Dwarf Nam Wahs grew MUCH faster and I've heard DNW fruit is better anyway.

Interestingly I planted both from tissue culture at exactly the same time and the ice cream banana beat the dnw to fruiting by a fair margin (fruited in the first year, the namwah took until the second spring).

I bought both at the same time in same size containers from Pine Island Nursery and planted both at the same time.  2 Ice Creams and 6 dwarf nam Wahs.  The DNWs were twice the height of the Ice Creams by the end of the first year.  Second year, moved a couple smaller DNW pups over by the Ice Creams and now they are taller than my original Ice Creams.

Is there something that can stunt a banana permanently?  I took some of the pups from ice cream and planted in a different area, but they are still growing very slow too.  Even my raja puris, Orinoco, and p. Klotek put my Ice Creams to shame for growth rate.  I don't know why.  If they grew faster, I would keep them.

[Chupa King]

The largo varieties take longer. Sort of like the Cuban, they are the dinosaurs of the Musa.

[Ulfr]

Yeah don't know. Position has maybe played a part here but the blue java is certainly not slow. It is the real deal too as far as I'm aware.



I have another variety that I got years ago from a Philippino friend that he called sugar banana. I'll have to put it up here for identification one day because it is a good banana. It might be normal ducasse.

[BestDay]

I took some of the ice cream bananas to work today to have some coworkers try them. The general concensus was they aren't as good as the other varieties I have brought in. I did try one a little greener then usual and I will say it was better. I haven't given up on these. I'm hoping this was just a freak bunch and the next one will be much better.

Bill

[SonnyCrockett]

I took some of the ice cream bananas to work today to have some coworkers try them. The general concensus was they aren't as good as the other varieties I have brought in. I did try one a little greener then usual and I will say it was better. I haven't given up on these. I'm hoping this was just a freak bunch and the next one will be much better.

Bill

I hope it was just one bad bunch too.  Best of luck!

[bsbullie]

I took some of the ice cream bananas to work today to have some coworkers try them. The general concensus was they aren't as good as the other varieties I have brought in. I did try one a little greener then usual and I will say it was better. I haven't given up on these. I'm hoping this was just a freak bunch and the next one will be much better.

Bill

Do you feed them with potassium?

[BestDay]

No especially amount of potassium. I gave them a 8-6-8 with minors in the spring and didn't fertilize again until two days ago. I'm going to fertilize them heavily until the. Ext harvest. That way I will no have any doubts as to why the fruit tastes the way it does.

Bill