Yes! We have no Bananas

Do you remember my story of the banana plant next to our house?  It was given to me by the Kenyan gardeners on staff at Rosslyn in February 2009.  Shortly thereafter it started to die and the mole responsible was removed.  The plant has survived and grown surprisingly strong.  Banana plants can grow up to 7 metres tall and each leaf can be 2 metres long.

 Early this April we discovered a new growth on the banana tree.  This pod-like cluster of leaves is called a "flower bract".   One leaf on the bract rolled back almost daily to reveal a new "hand" of bananas.  

When first exposed, the hand of tiny bananas grows downward.  Gradually the "fingers" turn toward the sun and appear to be growing upside down.  The large pod (bract) is the life source of the banana -- it contains a syrupy milk that feeds the young bananas as they grow.  Sometimes the syrup drips out the bottom of the pod while the bananas hang above.  Simon has counted 19 hands of bananas on this one stalk.  The bananas continue to grow and turn yellow over a period many weeks.

I have read that Kenyans consume 45 kg of bananas per person each year.  We have several varieties of bananas here which are cooked in stew or eaten raw.  The leaves of the banana plant are used to make placemats, boxes, nativity sets, hats, rugs, etc, etc.

We have been told that it takes about 3 months for a bunch of bananas to ripen.... hence the title of this blog.  We do have bananas on our tree and they will be ready to pick in July or August.  But we will not be the ones to harvest this crop.  

We fly to Nova Scotia today and will not be returning to Kenya.  We are looking forward to a few months of rest and being with family and friends.  We are not sure what the Fall will bring!  Sadly, we will not be eating our bananas.