We planted bananas in all the depressions in the homestead because bananas love plenty of water. Whenever it rained, water filled such places and bananas did very well in such circumstances.
We had several types of bananas. Some were tall, some medium height and some short. Their fruits were equally different with some bearing big bunches while some bore medium sizes and others bore small ones. The size of the bunch had nothing to do with the height of the banana stem. The size depended on the specie.
Some had slender stems while others had thick stems. Some types also had large stools while others had moderate stools. The main types were plantain, burro, apple-sweet, red and green cooking bananas. We had plantations in various areas with stools of bananas all over.
Some were also slow in development and production while others were a bit faster. We got the various types from various indigenous farmers in the region at a fee or in exchange for something else.
We ate the bananas cooked while green or ripe and cows ate the leaves and stems. The remains were turned into manure.
The cows’ cut feed for the next day was stored among the banana stools to shade it from the strong sun rays.
Bananas did well due to having been planted in the depressions where rainwater collected and too because they were heavily mulched to reduce evaporation with waste grass from the two sheds and urine and waste water too from the sheds.
We weeded around the stools often and did all we could to keep them moist to promote their welfare and development. The ones heavy with fruit and looked weak were supported with Y shaped poles cut from the forest nearby or manmade support from wood planks and nails.
In time of plenty, we harvested the entire ready crop while still green, washed, peeled and dried it thoroughly and kept it for future use as flour or cooked it bit by bit as dry bananas after soaking it in cold water for hours.
When needed ripe, we harvested those showing signs of complete maturity either by a few bananas or a whole segment starting to get ripe or when the heart of the bunch of the bananas showed considerable reduction in size as its outer layers peeled off and fell over the growth period.
In such a case, we removed all segments and put them in a pot or cardboard box or wooden box with Lukina leaves added in between and on top to help with the ripening process. During dry seasons, banana segments plus Lukina leaves could be put in shallow trenches with banana leaves on the bottom, lining the sides and on top to keep off soil and they got ripened there.
In all cases, ripening was fast and bananas came out clean, attractive and with real banana aroma filling the air. Alternatively, we hanged the whole bunch on the roof above the tripod fireplace in the kitchen for warmth to help in the ripening.
Bananas turned out uniformly yellow and very tasty unlike the commercial ones harvested before time and forced to ripen through scientific methods.
They were totally disease free and birds loved building among the top leaves. Just like pawpaw, monkeys sporadically harvesting them for themselves during the day.
We ate all that we harvested.