What about a vanilla ice cream-like dessert with the health benefits of broccoli? Wouldn’t it be just amazing? If this sounds strange, you probably haven’t heard of the numerous benefits of blue Java bananas!
This fruit is also known as Ice Cream banana since it has the consistency of ice cream and is flavored with hints of vanilla. It also gets its name from the blue-green color of the skin when unripe, which gradually turns into a pale yellow, with a show white- colored flesh which can either be enjoyed raw or cooked.
The blue Java banana goes by a few other names as well, so it is called the Hawaiian banana in Fiji, Krie in the Philippines and Cenizo in various parts of Central America.
This hardy, cold-tolerant banana cultivar produces plump, sweet bananas slightly shorter than the common Cavendish banana. It is grown primarily in South Asia and can survive some of the harshest environments. Yet, it requires 40 Fahrenheit for optimum growth.
Despite being delicious, these bananas are incredibly healthy as well. They are rich in potassium and minerals. 100 gms of the blue Java bananas contain 0.3g of fat, 22.8g of carbs and 89 calories.
Moreover, the leaves can be used instead of aluminum foil, as casserole wraps, or in cooking, for boiling, heating, frying, roasting, or freezing.
If you are interested in growing these beneficial fruits outside South Asia, follow these tips:
- • Find an area that gets enough sunlight and rain
- • The plantations grow up to 20 feet, so you need to have enough available space, as well as a sufficient amount of watering daily
- • Once a month, use NPK fertilizer in a ratio of 3:1:6, and water the plants well
- • As they grow, provide them with ample sunlight and eliminate any shoots that would suck in the nutrients for the fruit.
- • In general, a small plant needs about 9 months to bear fruits
Year after year, the Blue Java banana tree will give you plenty of bananas to harvest! You can freely replace any banana for Blue Java in your delicious sweet and savory recipes, and remember that it goes particularly well with ice cream. Enjoy!
