Ripening bananas on the plant - less tasty ?

John48 · 05-16-2015, 08:42 PM

If you ripen the bananas on the plant will they become less tasty ?
I have built some wire cages that enclose the bunches.
This is for pest exclusion - the idea was to allow ripening on the plant and gradual harvest.
But now I have read somewhere that they taste better when picked semi green and ripened after picking.

John48 · 05-17-2015, 08:21 PM

I was basing this query on just one statement -
"When left on the plant too long, the fruit tends to split open and become tasteless"
Banana facts you didn't know

I had always assumed that plant ripened fruit were superior,
and that green harvesting was just a commercial necessity.
And I have found some references agreeing with this.

Although both flavor and texture of "tree-ripened" bananas is generally regarded as superior to any type of green-picked fruit,
this reduces shelf life to only 7–10 days.
Banana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Tree ripened bananas, like any fruit or vegetable allowed to ripen naturally, are much sweeter and also don’t have that almost unreal yellow color to them. They tend to be a duller yellow, with brown speckles on them.
How To Grow Banana Trees In Your Off The Grid Garden | Off The Grid News

So I will continue trying to ripen on the plant.

sandy0225 · 05-20-2015, 06:43 AM

we just pick ours as they ripen. here in Indiana they don't all ripen at once, so we get an extended harvest with 3-5 bananas usually every couple of days. and they definitely aren't tasteless, so don't believe that. I think they just pick them green for shipping like tomatoes and you know what that does to the flavor of tomatoes!

John48 · 05-20-2015, 07:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sandy0225

we just pick ours as they ripen.

Thanks, yes thats what I plan to do to.
It was probably a silly question of mine to start with, based a dodgy article.
I now firmly believe plant ripened fruit are better.
I had my first backyard grown banana in a while, today and it was so tasty.
And its so nice to just pick a few at a time as needed.

05-16-2015, 08:42 PM	#1 (permalink)
John48 Find me on the map! Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 3 BananaBucks : 1,918 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Ripening bananas on the plant - less tasty ? If you ripen the bananas on the plant will they become less tasty ? I have built some wire cages that enclose the bunches. This is for pest exclusion - the idea was to allow ripening on the plant and gradual harvest. But now I have read somewhere that they taste better when picked semi green and ripened after picking.

05-17-2015, 08:21 PM	#2 (permalink)
John48 Find me on the map! Join Date: Oct 2011 Posts: 3 BananaBucks : 1,918 Feedback: 0 / 0% Said "Thanks" 2 Times Was Thanked 2 Times in 1 Post Said "Welcome to Bananas" 0 Times	Re: Ripening bananas on the plant - less tasty ? I was basing this query on just one statement - "When left on the plant too long, the fruit tends to split open and become tasteless" Banana facts you didn't know I had always assumed that plant ripened fruit were superior, and that green harvesting was just a commercial necessity. And I have found some references agreeing with this. Although both flavor and texture of "tree-ripened" bananas is generally regarded as superior to any type of green-picked fruit, this reduces shelf life to only 7–10 days. Banana - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Tree ripened bananas, like any fruit or vegetable allowed to ripen naturally, are much sweeter and also don’t have that almost unreal yellow color to them. They tend to be a duller yellow, with brown speckles on them. How To Grow Banana Trees In Your Off The Grid Garden \| Off The Grid News So I will continue trying to ripen on the plant. Last edited by John48 : 05-17-2015 at 08:38 PM.

05-20-2015, 06:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
sandy0225 Northern Tropics sandy0225's Photo Gallery Location: Muncie, Indiana zone 5 Find me on the map! Zone: zone 5 Name: Sandy Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 1,718 BananaBucks : 366,536 Feedback: 31 / 97% Said "Thanks" 38 Times Was Thanked 1,801 Times in 682 Posts Said "Welcome to Bananas" 9 Times	Re: Ripening bananas on the plant - less tasty ? we just pick ours as they ripen. here in Indiana they don't all ripen at once, so we get an extended harvest with 3-5 bananas usually every couple of days. and they definitely aren't tasteless, so don't believe that. I think they just pick them green for shipping like tomatoes and you know what that does to the flavor of tomatoes! __________________ Sandy Burrell Northern Tropics Greenhouse 1501 East Fuson Road Muncie, IN 47302 www.northerntropics.com specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~ check out our new online store at our website!

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