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Spokes
09-14-2011, 12:40
A new form of the soil based fungus called Tropical Race Four (http://www.forbes.com/sites/tombarlow/2011/06/17/banana-fungus-threatens-world-crop/) is threatening to destroy the world supply of Cavandish bananas. The fungus has already wiped out banana crops in Australia and Asia and is expected to hit Central and South America soon.

So which fruit will you guys be switching over to on the trail?

WingedMonkey
09-14-2011, 13:11
I love bananas, but they are overrated by most hikers for their potassium and cramp relief value. Dried apricots, prunes, figs, and raisins all supply as much or more potassium. Even re-fried beans and mashed potatoes are good sources.

Sarcasm the elf
09-14-2011, 13:18
Can I switch over to eating American Chestnuts?...The article doesn't have me too worried, it sounds like there is a good chance they will find a variety that resistant to start planting in mass should the Cavandish be seriously effected. Too bad that as a people we are dumb enough to keep planting and consuming monocultures. Can you imagine if this happened to popular varieties of feed corn or soy?

Plodderman
09-14-2011, 13:20
Raisins and gried cranberries.

HiKen2011
09-14-2011, 13:25
A new form of the soil based fungus called Tropical Race Four (http://www.forbes.com/sites/tombarlow/2011/06/17/banana-fungus-threatens-world-crop/) is threatening to destroy the world supply of Cavandish bananas. The fungus has already wiped out banana crops in Australia and Asia and is expected to hit Central and South America soon.

So which fruit will you guys be switching over to on the trail?

Blueberries for me, nice photo.

WingedMonkey
09-14-2011, 13:47
Unless Americans want to eat a large seeded wild banana, all bananas cultivated (even the Dwarf Cavendish variety in our back yards) are seedless and must be grown from suckers or roots. So even when resistant varieties are found they are still grown in monocultures, unless you want to start each new plant in a test tube.
13855

Wild banana with seeds.

Pedaling Fool
09-14-2011, 13:50
Makes me wonder how these bananas will taste when ripe.

But as WM said there's much more potassium in other things; I personally like dehydrated potatoes for my potassium.

BTW, this isn't the first time this has happened, it last happened back in the 1950's with the Gros Michel banana http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gros_Michel There still are some of these around, but not economically viable any longer, as seen here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfX8taUsoEA


So in a sense many of us don't know what a good tasting banana is, back in the day cavendish were seen as trashy bananas compared to the Gros Michel, but it being the only option (or at least the best option) that's what we have today. I think as we improve upon genetically modified foods we'll get great tasting bananas again one day (whatever that is:D).

http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/003-1.jpg (http://javascript<strong></strong>:void(0);)

YohonPetro
09-14-2011, 13:52
Can I switch over to eating American Chestnuts?...The article doesn't have me too worried, it sounds like there is a good chance they will find a variety that resistant to start planting in mass should the Cavandish be seriously effected. Too bad that as a people we are dumb enough to keep planting and consuming monocultures. Can you imagine if this happened to popular varieties of feed corn or soy?

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424053111904009304576532742267732046.html
"Widely grown corn plants that Monsanto Co. genetically modified to thwart a voracious bug are falling prey to that very pest in a few Iowa fields, the first time a major Midwest scourge has developed resistance to a genetically modified crop."

It's already happening there too.

fiddlehead
09-14-2011, 13:58
Living in the heart of banana country here in southern Thailand, they are still about 10-15 bananas in a bunch for about $.75 a bunch.
So, not sure where this crop got wiped out in Asia. Certainly not here.
I agree they are not as good as reducing cramps as people think.
But they are still great tasting and nutritious.
I eat them most everyday.
By the way, I've seen them in the jungles here where I really don't think they've been planted by people.
I could be wrong but why would someone cut their way through the thick jungle to place a banana plant where they can't get to it for harvesting? (especially when they could put them closer to trails/roads)
Maybe there's something going on in Dole's South American lands, but, not here in SE Asia.

Spokes
09-14-2011, 14:10
....
So in a sense many of us don't know what a good tasting banana is, back in the day cavendish were seen as trashy bananas compared to the Gros Michel, but it being the only option (or at least the best option) that's what we have today. I think as we improve upon genetically modified foods we'll get great tasting bananas again one day (whatever that is:D)...


That is some great info sharing John Gault!!! Thanks.

Snowleopard
09-14-2011, 14:22
... So in a sense many of us don't know what a good tasting banana is, back in the day cavendish were seen as trashy bananas compared to the Gros Michel ...
You can sometimes find really good small yellow or purple bananas in Hispanic and Asian groceries or Whole Foods. They are delicious when ripe and awful when unripe to my taste. They're also more expensive. I don't think they travel as well as the regular Cavendish.

Maybe fiddlehead gets even better bananas in Thailand.

fiddlehead
09-14-2011, 14:41
We get a few different kinds here.
I prefer the long ones that look like the ones I buy back in the states.
They seem to taste sweeter here. I always assume that's because they are sometimes tree ripened. (or at least close)

The small ones that you are talking about in the Asian stores are available also and much cheaper here.
I call them plantains as that's what they were called in South America when I traveled there.
They don't taste as good but are so cheap that sometimes they give you a bunch for $.15 here, and even free if they are starting to go too ripe.

I drink banana shakes about 3-4 days a week. They put 2 bananas in, with sweet milk and ice and mix in a blender. Cost: $.60
You can taste the difference if they are made from the plantain type bananas.

My wife told me that you should always buy local bananas as the ones that are shipped, are green until they put them in a sealed container with some chemical to ripen them when ready to sell. She calls it simply "gas" but I don't know what it is.
They do that more with mangoes here. Fruits are so good and very inexpensive here. Mangosteen's is another favorite of mine.

Pedaling Fool
09-14-2011, 15:08
...
By the way, I've seen them in the jungles here where I really don't think they've been planted by people.
I could be wrong but why would someone cut their way through the thick jungle to place a banana plant where they can't get to it for harvesting? (especially when they could put them closer to trails/roads)
I've been meaning to check into this, because I've also seen them growing, here in Florida, in some out-of-the-way places, but know they didn't get there by seed, since all cultivated banana plants are suppose to be infertile. My best guess, emphasis guess, is that they do spread under ground. I started out with two banana plants in a pot I planted it last year and they got pretty big before dying back into the ground over the winter. Not only did they comeback in spring, thanks to its fleshy rhizomes, I now have seven plants growing, well I did, but chopped down 4 of them, leaving three of the largest. Here's a breif on their history http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana#Historical_cultivation, basically all edible bananas come from a mutant variety that humans started many moons ago.

winnowedsoul
09-14-2011, 15:10
the issue that cavandishes stand is that thye are mostly all just the same plant ...meaning clones....since all the plants are the same and are grown monoculture they do stand at high risk of a blight. However that is what happens when people get too comfortable with modern farms and want things to be cheap and readily available without regard to the chemicals put into the environment in the way of pesticides and fertilizers. Even when crop rotation occurs it is usually still a monoculture field. Being from a farming community in the miswest, I have seen 'responsible farming' still rape the earth of nutients and som efarmers barely make it due to blight or under production and fall into the loop of not having choices about crop or seed becasue they can no longer "bank" them like before becasue of the genetic modifications of the new seeds are so that they can not product sexually viable crops menaing they are for comsumption, but will not grow from their own seed...it's a scary world that GMO's have created and with greedy bellies around the world it will just keep going...check out mosanto and soem videos on HULU to scare yourself about the modern food network

chief
09-14-2011, 15:20
In a former life, I worked aboard 2 banana boats. We had to handle bananas very carefully as to humidity and temperature. While the bunches are bagged/boxed/refrigerated during shipping they are not sealed. The refrigeration prevents ripening during transport. After shipping, ripening is assisted with ethylene gas before they reach the market.

Pedaling Fool
09-14-2011, 15:23
the issue that cavandishes stand is that thye are mostly all just the same plant ...meaning clones....since all the plants are the same and are grown monoculture they do stand at high risk of a blight. However that is what happens when people get too comfortable with modern farms and want things to be cheap and readily available without regard to the chemicals put into the environment in the way of pesticides and fertilizers. Even when crop rotation occurs it is usually still a monoculture field. Being from a farming community in the miswest, I have seen 'responsible farming' still rape the earth of nutients and som efarmers barely make it due to blight or under production and fall into the loop of not having choices about crop or seed becasue they can no longer "bank" them like before becasue of the genetic modifications of the new seeds are so that they can not product sexually viable crops menaing they are for comsumption, but will not grow from their own seed...it's a scary world that GMO's have created and with greedy bellies around the world it will just keep going...check out mosanto and soem videos on HULU to scare yourself about the modern food network
So what's the fix? Personally I think it's in science and thus support GM foods, has nothing to do with greed, it's just the best practice for the environment. We've been genetically modifying food since we decided the the hunter/gaterer lifestyle sucked. So GM food is nothing new, the difference being is that we use a more precise method by "surgically" changing the genetic makeup vice the less surgical method of "breeding" various traits. In other words it's like doing surgery machete (breeding) vs. a scalpel (laboratory gene manipulation).

Maybe you should read this http://www.actionbioscience.org/biotech/borlaug.html from the father of the green revolution Norman Borlaug http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Borlaug

Doc Mike
09-14-2011, 16:31
Interesting tidbit bananas if left on the tree to ripen bust open and are not as good. Bananas ripen best when harvested at full size prior to turning yellow.

Bronk
09-15-2011, 02:06
Too bad that as a people we are dumb enough to keep planting and consuming monocultures. Can you imagine if this happened to popular varieties of feed corn or soy?

80% of the world's food supply comes from 4 plants: corn, beans (soy), wheat and rice. A major crop failure in any of these would cause many people to starve to death.

Fiddleback
09-16-2011, 13:10
I love bananas, but they are overrated by most hikers for their potassium and cramp relief value. Dried apricots, prunes, figs, and raisins all supply as much or more potassium. Even re-fried beans and mashed potatoes are good sources.

There's more and more writing and research indicating potassium itself may be overrated for cramp relief;

http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/12/electrolytes-and-muscle-cramps.html (wlmailhtml:{90A4CD24-E5BC-4CED-9A8F-3D95D33D0600}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://www.trainingbible.com/joesblog/2008/12/electrolytes-and-muscle-cramps.html)



http://sweatscience.com/cramping-in-ironman-triathlons-not-dehydration-or-electrolytes/ (wlmailhtml:{90A4CD24-E5BC-4CED-9A8F-3D95D33D0600}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://sweatscience.com/cramping-in-ironman-triathlons-not-dehydration-or-electrolytes/)



http://www.gustrength.com/physiology:muscle-cramps-part-ii (wlmailhtml:{90A4CD24-E5BC-4CED-9A8F-3D95D33D0600}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://www.gustrength.com/physiology:muscle-cramps-part-ii)



http://www.livestrong.com/article/413657-electrolytes-the-cramping-of-muscles/ (wlmailhtml:{90A4CD24-E5BC-4CED-9A8F-3D95D33D0600}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://www.livestrong.com/article/413657-electrolytes-the-cramping-of-muscles/)



http://south.sanfordhealth.org/classlibrary/Page/Images/files/BergeronMuscleCrampsFatigue.pdf (wlmailhtml:{90A4CD24-E5BC-4CED-9A8F-3D95D33D0600}mid://00000061/!x-usc:http://south.sanfordhealth.org/classlibrary/Page/Images/files/BergeronMuscleCrampsFatigue.pdf)

At the least, recent findings indicate there's more to cramps than electrolyte inbalance.

As for the banana disease...this is a repeating cycle for commercial bananas. I think I remember a similar 'wipe out' in the 80's or 90's and there was the famous one in the 60's that wiped out our favorite variety that 'everybody eats...' Sadly, with the replacements (at least the ones I've experienced) the flavor doesn't seem as good.

FB

atraildreamer
09-17-2011, 12:21
My wife told me that you should always buy local bananas as the ones that are shipped, are green until they put them in a sealed container with some chemical to ripen them when ready to sell. She calls it simply "gas" but I don't know what it is.
They do that more with mangoes here. Fruits are so good and very inexpensive here. Mangosteen's is another favorite of mine.

It is ethylene gas. The plant produces this gas, but at a low concentration, which causes the fruit to ripen. By putting the unripened fruit in a container and hitting it with a high concentration of ethylene, the fruit is forced to ripen very quickly. Maybe this overdose is what makes the bananas dance! :banana:banana:banana:banana:banana ) I guess it is ok, but you'll never convince me that an artificially ripened store tomato is better than a fresh picked, extra-juicy garden tomato! (Yum!) :D

Pedaling Fool
09-17-2011, 15:10
Nearly 7 billion people and still counting...I'd say it's ok;)

fiddlehead
09-18-2011, 05:23
Just back from the market, got a big bunch of bananas today (12) for $.45
Had a banana shake while I was there too.
Anyway, I was thinking about this thread. The price is down from last week ($.55 for a bunch that size)

So, I have another little known fact about bananas for this thread.
If you take a banana, and peel it, and then stick your finger in the bananas end to split it, it will ALWAYS split in 3 equal pieces.
I learned this years ago and when I dehydrate bananas for hiking, I always do this and then half-dry the pieces (long and skinny).
Then when you eat them on the trail, they are sweet like candy, still a bit flexible (because they are only half-dried).

Remember, the harder you dry them, the longer they will last, but the worse they will taste.

Try it sometime (the finger trick) It is quite amazing.

sbhikes
09-18-2011, 10:37
Misi Luki bananas blow Cavandish away by a mile.

Old Hiker
09-18-2011, 11:25
If Spoke's avatar would turn around, I may become fond of melons.

Never did like bananas much, even when I learned about the potassium. If I eat one (very rarely), it has to be firm and not the least bit mushy.

I'll take a nice, crisp Gala apple any day. Galas seem to stay crisp and tart a LOT longer than other varieties.

Pedaling Fool
12-03-2011, 18:05
Just cut down my bananas from the tree (I know not technically a tree...:D) so the can yellow/ripen. Here's some pics



http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/013.jpg


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/003-2.jpg


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/006.jpg

leaftye
12-03-2011, 18:26
One of your bananas has eyes.

sarbar
12-03-2011, 18:38
One of your bananas has eyes.
That is the bonus protein :D :D Cute little guy!!

Sarcasm the elf
12-03-2011, 19:45
Just cut down my bananas from the tree (I know not technically a tree...) so the can yellow/ripen. Here's some pics

Very cool, I'm kind of jealous :cool:

Pedaling Fool
01-29-2012, 14:14
Hey all, I'm currently reading a book about the History of Bananas and the inspriation for this book is the disease that is currently wiping out the cavendish.
Title: Banana: The Fate of the Fruit That Changed the World.
Author: Dan Koeppel

Recommend, Very good book!

atraildreamer
01-29-2012, 15:04
My wife told me that you should always buy local bananas as the ones that are shipped, are green until they put them in a sealed container with some chemical to ripen them when ready to sell. She calls it simply "gas" but I don't know what it is.
They do that more with mangoes here. Fruits are so good and very inexpensive here. Mangosteen's is another favorite of mine.

Ethylene.

http://www.ethylenegas.com/ethylene.htm

"About Ethylene Gas:

Ethylene Gas C2H4

Ethylene gas (C2H4) is an odorless, colorless gas that exists in nature and is also created by man-made sources. Not easily detectable, it exists where produce is stored. In nature, the largest producers are plant and plant products (ie. fruits, vegetables and floral products) which produce ethylene within their tissues and release it into the surrounding atmosphere. It is also a by-product of man-made processes, such as combustion.


As is often the case, the role of ethylene and its effects on produce was discovered by accident. Lemon growers would store newly harvested green lemons in sheds kept warm by kerosene heaters until they turned yellow and ripened enough to market. When new modern heating systems were tried, the lemons no longer turned yellow on time. Research soon found that the important factor in the ripening process was small amounts of ethylene gas given off by the burning kerosene in the heaters.


Ethylene, also known as the 'death' or 'ripening hormone' plays a regulatory role in many processes of plant growth, development and eventually death. Fruits, vegetables and flowers contain receptors which serve as bonding sites to absorb free atmospheric ethylene molecules. The common practice of placing a tomato, avocado or banana in a paper bag to hasten ripening is an example of the action of ethylene on produce. Increased levels of ethylene contained within the bag, released by the produce itself, serves as a stimulant after reabsorption to initiate the production of more ethylene. The overall effect is to hasten ripening, aging and eventually spoilage. A refrigerator acts in much the same way. Kept closed to retain the desired temperature, it also enables an increased concentration of ethylene to accumulate. Any closed environment, such as a truck trailer, shipping container or warehouse, will have a similar effect.


Storage of produce items is of economic importance to the food and floral industry. Storage allows producers, handlers and sellers to spread availability over periods of strong and weak demand, maintaining supply and stabilizing cost. ":banana

Oaks
04-19-2012, 02:30
I will miss the banana, but quite frankly I'm always amazed at how dates never come into the conversation. They're calorically dense and never go "bad". Camel milk and dates are all Wilfred Thesiger ate when he crossed the "Empty Quarter" of the Arabian desert in the forties. They taste good in oatmeal or smoothies. BUT, they cannot replace the banana split.

Spokes
04-19-2012, 08:00
Camel milk and dates? Where the hell do you buy that combination- Hanover? :)

Pedaling Fool
04-19-2012, 08:03
Bananas are overrated, won't miss them, besides there will be a new variant for sure and probably better. I got a date tree across the street, but never tasted them. Currently growing a fig tree and I still got the banana tree, which produced fruit last year, so maybe this year....

Spokes
04-19-2012, 09:22
I grew banana trees in North Carolina years ago. Lot of people don't think they'll grow here but they will. Started with some rhizomes from a friend and kept them watered. Grew like crazy. I'd cut down the root ball, dig it up, and kept them in my basement until the next year then start all over again. Fun!

WingedMonkey
04-19-2012, 10:18
I will miss the banana, but quite frankly I'm always amazed at how dates never come into the conversation. They're calorically dense and never go "bad". Camel milk and dates are all Wilfred Thesiger ate when he crossed the "Empty Quarter" of the Arabian desert in the forties. They taste good in oatmeal or smoothies. BUT, they cannot replace the banana split.

I buy a bag of dates about every two months on my BJ's shopping trips. Along with apricots and that old stand by ...prunes.
They are my snacks both walking and biking.

sbhikes
04-19-2012, 13:45
They will switch to Misi Luki bananas. They can grow in more arid climates plus they are more flavorful. The decimation of bananas is really just a commercial problem. The banana varieties all still exist, just not in large, profitable monocrop plantations.

rocketsocks
04-19-2012, 14:15
Just cut down my bananas from the tree (I know not technically a tree...:D) so the can yellow/ripen. Here's some pics



http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/013.jpg


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/003-2.jpg


http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/006.jpgThose are the up-side down variety.:rolleyes::D

Oaks
04-24-2012, 05:57
Spokes- Yeah, I don't know if dates are easy to come by along the AT. I figure I'll start with some and then switch to raisins and apricots and whatever else dried I can get my hands on (cranberries?) The camel milk might be a little more problematic....

moytoy
04-24-2012, 06:47
I've never taken bananas on a hike but I eat them all the time. I even mash the over ripe ones and bake them in my wheat bread. While hiking I find rasins the easiest to pack and handle. Raisin, peatnuts and oats is my trail mix. For some reason I find the picture in my head of a hiker trying to milk a camel a funny one.

Spokes
04-24-2012, 09:20
Spokes- Yeah, I don't know if dates are easy to come by along the AT. I figure I'll start with some and then switch to raisins and apricots and whatever else dried I can get my hands on (cranberries?) The camel milk might be a little more problematic....

Cool. I always try packing Sunsweet Ones (the individually wrapped prunes) on long hikes.

sterling98
04-24-2012, 12:48
Just back from the market, got a big bunch of bananas today (12) for $.45
half-dry the pieces (long and skinny). Then when you eat them on the trail, they are sweet like candy, still a bit flexible (because they are only half-dried). Remember, the harder you dry them, the longer they will last, but the worse they will taste.

+1 I just peel the bananas, pop them in the dehydrator and they are so delicious. Most people I know like them hard but I prefer them soft, but dried. The problem is, they take about 12 hours to dry just right when you dehydrate them whole. Maybe I'll try splitting them into thirds...

Pedaling Fool
05-16-2014, 08:21
A new form of the soil based fungus called Tropical Race Four (http://www.forbes.com/sites/tombarlow/2011/06/17/banana-fungus-threatens-world-crop/) is threatening to destroy the world supply of Cavandish bananas. The fungus has already wiped out banana crops in Australia and Asia and is expected to hit Central and South America soon.

So which fruit will you guys be switching over to on the trail?
UPDATE:


They're still combating the Panama disease, but the good news is that there is a new breed still being tested as a possible replacement and it's suppose to be sweeter....


http://www.popsci.com/article/science/has-end-banana-arrived


Excerpt:

“The future looks bleak,” says Altus Viljoen, the South African plant pathologist who organized the conference. "There’s no way they’ll be able to stop any further spread if they continue to farm.” Worse, he says, the disease's rapid spread endangers banana crops beyond Mozambique’s borders.

The story of the African farm is the story of a threat to the world’s largest fruit crop. Commercially, bananas generate $8 billion annually and, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, more than 400 million people rely on the fruit as their primary source of calories. Though more bananas are grown in Asia, Africans depend heavily on the crop; in countries like Rwanda and Uganda, for example, average banana consumption is about 500 pounds per person annually, or 20 times that of the typical American. If the bananas vanish, people starve.

I originally reported on the malady that’s now infecting the Mozambique plantation in the August 2005 print edition of Popular Science (http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2008-06/can-fruit-be-saved). In that story, which is still relevant today, I described a fungus, commonly known as “Panama Disease” but scientifically termed Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubensis Tropical Race 4 (or “Foc-TR4”). It infects the roots of banana plants, moves upward through the xylem, and clogs the flow of sap, causing leaves to wilt and the plant to rot."

Pedaling Fool
03-22-2016, 13:50
Just cut down my bananas from the tree (I know not technically a tree...:D) so the can yellow/ripen. Here's some pics









http://i1128.photobucket.com/albums/m484/76gunner/Banana Plant/006.jpg

I got some more :banana :banana:banana growing this year

rocketsocks
03-22-2016, 14:56
Beautiful, enjoy!

RockDoc
03-22-2016, 15:13
Bananas are a good example of what is called "Nature's candy". Mostly sugar. Good luck metabolizing that...

colorado_rob
03-22-2016, 15:25
Bananas are a good example of what is called "Nature's candy". Mostly sugar. Good luck metabolizing that...?????????????????? Precisely what we need on the trail. Sugar. Easily metabolized. Kinda heavy though to carry because of the extra water..... Still, good trail food.

Most fruits are mostly sugar. Fructose.

Bananas have a bunch of much needed electrolytes (most notably potassium) and some good vitamins. Basically, a good whole food, like lots of other fruits.