My Banana Tree

I am having so much fun watching the changes in my banana tree daily. I was going to wait and post everything once it was over, but I can't wait!

There are so many things I did not know about growing bananas, and there was no reason for me to know either. I just go to the grocery store, and they are magically there.

A few facts....Did you know bananas cannot ripen on the tree? When the heart drops off the huge bunches it is time to remove them from the tree by the stalk they are hanging from. You then hang them somewhere to ripen. I hung the bunch my neighbor gave me on the clothes line on my back porch. It took about 4 days and they were ripe. ( I will continue to take pictures to show the heart and when it drops, so you can see what I am talking about.)

Did you know when the bananas are removed from the tree the entire tree is chopped down? YES! It will not produce again, but it sends out shoots that next season will grow into new trees, and it all starts over again. Who knew????? The only sad part about this, to me, is I love looking at the banana trees. Their big green leaves are so pretty. The side yard will be bare until they come up again.

The pictures I am posting are from the first 5 days of the evolution. It is a miracle to see how this soft purple heart that just looked like a pod starts opening one petal at a time, and bananas are there. I want to plant an orchard!

Now, for your treat! You will not believe this, but it is 100% true. For those of you who cannot tolerate flour or dairy you can still have pancakes. A friend told me about this. I made them, and they were delicious. I promise...try it you will love it.

Banana Pancakes

1 large banana (or two small)
2 eggs
Mash the banana up well
Wisk the 2 eggs and add to the banana

I can eat dairy, so I put butter in the frying pan (If you cannot use butter use what you normally would)
Pour the batter into the pan as you would pancakes. When they are nice and brown on both sides they are ready.

To me they did not need syrup. The bananas were already sweet. I did add more butter to the top. You cannot believe how delicious this is and easy!

Pura Vida!