Exotic Fruit

[Eyes of Nine]

We have a banana tree on our property, produces about 1 bunch a year. The texture is definitely banana (although more dense than store bought) but very different flavor. Leans more towards pineapple

 

[the Jester]

We have a banana tree on our property, produces about 1 bunch a year. The texture is definitely banana (although more dense than store bought) but very different flavor. Leans more towards pineapple

Yeah, there are a ton of different banana varieties. I've only had a few that were truly ripe, but all of them were good, albeit different from one another. I'd love to try yours one of these days, that sounds really good!

 

[dragoner]

I rented a house in Oakland CA and a Filipino friend helping me move in walked around and looked at all the fruit trees, and said Filipinos had lived there because the plants were all native to the Philippines, including flowering shrubs for tea, medicinal plants etc..

 

[Ulfgeir]

Swedish fish are said to taste like lingonberry, but I suspect it does so in in the same way banana candy tastes like bananas.

Nope lingonerriesnowhere nowhere near taste of Swedish fish imo.

I can see the comparison to cranberries though. But I think a touch more sour. Mix cranberry with rowanberry.

One thing that I love are sour cooseberries. So i want them before they are fully ripe. If I understand it correctly very difficult to get hold of in the US, as the bushes can have a parasiter that also affects certain trees.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I didn't write in my post above - this upcoming Monday we'll pull this bunch down, wait about a week for them to turn yellow, and then EAT! Note that these bananas are small, roughly the length of my palm. Should have put a store-bought banana next to them for scale - maybe after we bring them down

 

[the Jester]

I didn't write in my post above - this upcoming Monday we'll pull this bunch down, wait about a week for them to turn yellow, and then EAT! Note that these bananas are small, roughly the length of my palm. Should have put a store-bought banana next to them for scale - maybe after we bring them down

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I love the blossom. Do you ever use the flowers or cook stuff in the leaves?

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I love the blossom. Do you ever use the flowers or cook stuff in the leaves?

Agree, the flower is a trip

My son's Filipino gf told us that eating banana flower is a thing - mind blown

So I think we'll try this recipe (the stir fry) and see what happens

How To Cook Banana Flower

How To Cook Banana Flower If you're looking to explore new flavors and add some excitement to your culinary repertoire, then it's time to try cooking with bana

recipes.net

I'm not sure how much of the pistils/stamens are left inside the petals. Also not sure about cooking something in the petal leaves themselves... But the images on that recipe have images using them as serving dishes, which is great presentation

 

[the Jester]

Agree, the flower is a trip

My son's Filipino gf told us that eating banana flower is a thing - mind blown

So I think we'll try this recipe (the stir fry) and see what happens

How To Cook Banana Flower

How To Cook Banana Flower If you're looking to explore new flavors and add some excitement to your culinary repertoire, then it's time to try cooking with bana

recipes.net

I'm not sure how much of the pistils/stamens are left inside the petals. Also not sure about cooking something in the petal leaves themselves... But the images on that recipe have images using them as serving dishes, which is great presentation

I've sliced banana flowers super thin and used them in both stir fries and soups. They're pretty fibrous, so I think you need to be sure to cut them into very thin slices or they're too woody. I couldn't really detect a lot of flavor from them, but I think they added a little floral note, maybe? Anyway, it's worth a try.

As for the leaves, I've heard of wrapping things in them and cooking them under hot stones. Kind of like a tamale wrapper, I guess? Never had the chance to try it, but I think it's a pretty well established technique in places where banana trees grow wild.