Not Quite Chiquita or Dole

This spring we had another pineapple growing, as well as our first bunch of bananas. It was interesting to watch them grow.

We have had our own pineapples before, and know that they are candy-sweet when they ripen into a beautiful golden-yellow before they are picked. This bunch of bananas would be our first so we did not know what to expect when it came time to pick them.

Bananas begin their growth from inside a heavy, purple pod that hangs from a stalk on the banana tree. As the layers of the pod unfold, tiny, flower-like, baby bananas emerge.

As more layers unfold, more hands of bananas are exposed. Our banana tree produced four hands.

The pineapple we were watching grow was not going to be a full-sized one this time (don't know why).

All summer we watched and watered our tropical fruits. The bananas were the first to be picked. I cut the banana stalk off the tree. It was heavy. I then cut the banana hands off the stalk.

At the site of the cut, the banana hands oozed some liquid. I placed the hands on paper plates when I brought them inside.

I gave one hand to Yam, one to Spud, split a hand to give to my In-Laws and kept one for The Colonel and I.

Eventually the green bananas began to ripen.

I wanted to try them. I tried to remove the peel. It did not come away from the bananas easily (that should have been my first clue). I had to resort to cutting the peel away before I sliced the bananas.

I took a bite of the banana....ewwww. It was tough, a bit spongy and tasted kind of like a cucumber gone off. I thought perhaps the bananas needed to ripen a bit more. I tried another one a couple of days later....no improvement. I ended up tossing them out in the side yard. They disappeared, but I have no idea what ate them.

I asked everyone else how their bananas tasted. Yam and my In-Laws said theirs were inedible too. Spud said his were okay (hmmm).

Chiquita is not going to beat a path to my door anytime soon. Dole on the other hand...

The little pineapple ripened to a lovely golden-yellow. It ended up being nearly the same size and shape as a softball.

I cut it up for our dessert that evening. The Colonel and I each ended up with about a 1/3 of a cup of  delicious, candy-sweet pineapple. Too bad it was not larger...I doubt Dole will be beating a path to my door anytime soon either.