What is the nutritional value of the banana? What climates are ripe for cultivating bananas? Are bananas healthy for children?
Banana cultivation
- Sources at Purdue University Horticulture department say that the banana is a species of the the Musa plant family (also referred to as the family Musaceae).
- According to Wikipedia, five countries account for the greatest banana production. These include Brazil, China,India, Ecuador and the Philippines.
- Although bananas can be cultivated in most soils, the fruit is intolerant of sodium rich soil. Some banana growers conduct extreme irrigations to filter salt from sodium.
- Nevertheless, the fruit thrives best in rich, well-drained soil, preferably soil with a pH level between 5.5 and 6.5.
- Bananas are native to extremely warm climate; in particular tropical regions where the climate never freezes.
- Ten to 15 months is the standard span it takes for a banana to produce a flower stalk. Since the soil conditions in California are not conducive in Southern California, many of the state’s agriculturists belong to California Rare Fruit Growers Association.
Banana Nutrition
- One-hundred and ten is the average caloric value for a medium sized banana.
- Bananas comprise rich sources of potassium and fiber.
- There are 450 milligrams of potassium in bananas, and 3 grams of fiber and 1 gram of protein.
- Organic pureed bananas are a nourishing food to serve infants opposed to canned baby food which often contains unnatural additives. In fact the American Academy of Pediatrics deems Bananas to be a safe an pure enough for a baby’s first solid food.
How often do you eat bananas? What is types of edible fruit do you enjoy in a fruit basket?