Harvesting Plantains

Remember when I posted about the banana’s growing in our backyard? Well we were wrong. They were plantains. They grew quite steadily too. One morning I noticed that one of the trees had fallen over, so Jim went out and hacked it with our machete, dumping it behind our house to return to the earth and the river. While he was at it he hacked off the massive plantains.

The girls were so fascinated with what Jim was doing, they watched attentively. Aren’t they the cutest?!

Then they got some morning love from me before I headed to yoga. Jim wanted to know if I wanted the plantains to cook with but I suggested that we throw them behind our house so that the monkeys would come back. We ate plenty plantains anyway. My idea actually worked and our friends Brad, Chandler, and Baby O got to see them while they were visiting.

But back to bananas. While BCO (Brad, Chandler, and Baby O) stayed with us Chandler got some of those tiny bananas for Owen. He loved them and I just think they are the cutest things ever. They are a little sweeter than regular banana in my opinion, but otherwise just smaller. I see them in the grocery stores here in the US too. Do any of you prefer them or use them in particular dishes or dessert?

Siamese Banana

Perfect Day For a Banana Tree

I’m still using up the large bag of Pamela’s Baking and Pancake Mix. I was sad to find out that it has cultured buttermilk in it as I’m trying not to eat dairy. It makes the best tasting pancakes I’ve ever had though. SIGH. I replaced the eggs with “flax eggs”, making this a gluten free, refined sugar free, and ALMOST vegan breakfast. So good!

Can you see what I’m pointing to? Bananas! In my own backyard! One of my dreams has come true (without any effort on my part)! Oh nature, you are awesome!

Jim was the one who spotted the bananas. See how cute he is?! He’s getting so buff from all the surfing he’s been doing. 10 minutes after this photo was taken, he was reading in our hammock. Nice life, huh?!

The Bananas! I had always wondered if the banana trees I see when I sit up in bed and stretch would ever produce bananas. Both trees have fruit too! I just hope we can find a way to get one when they’re ripe enough.

Ok, so I found these glasses while we were standing in line at Mas x Menos the other day. Orange is my least favorite color (except when found in nature), but these are just so rad I had to get them. Who cares if they make my hair look orange, I got them for $5 and I look like a bad ass.

Best of 2009 Blog Challenge: Best Word or Phrase

When I asked Jim what his word of phrase of the year was he responded, “I had a year? I had this year?! No, I think I shared it.” I tried to bypass his silliness by trying to further prompt him, “Your 2009 was so ____?” After a moment and with a face of serious thought he replied, “Bananas.” “Bananas?! You’ve got to be kidding me!” (I had an image of my youngest sister channeling Gwen Stefani singing, “This sh*t is bananas. B-A-N-A-N-A-S!” and then my Dad using the term “bananas”, like the hip 52 year old that he thinks he is.) In all earnestness Jim made his case by saying,”In all honesty, I bet I ate well over 200 bananas this year. I mean I have one as a part of my breakfast just about every day and I also eat them as a snack.” I cackled helplessly.

Speaking of bananas, I slipped on one on Halloween. Seriously. Jim, his mom and I were in a tienda/mini super in Santa Elena, the small town by the Monteverde Cloud Forest, picking up breakfast items for the next morning. It was a small shop and after grabbing some cereal and bananas I spun around to ask Jim if he wanted any juice. In doing so I slipped, thankfully catching my fall. I looked down and there were a few bananas on the floor, one of them squashed. Only then did I notice that the produce area I was standing in was crowded with crates of new fruit and others with older fruit. Someone was clearly in the middle of rotating out older produce for new and the banana I had stepped on was meant to be tossed. I looked up at Jim shocked. “I just slipped on a banana.” He responded, “I didn’t know that actually happens.”