On Wed, 11 Dec 1996 20:09:53 EST you wrote:
>Mike: Yes, of course. Think about it next time your supermarket tempts
you >with strawberries in January, or bananas anytime. Or the next time
EPA tells us >how they're protecting us.
I know I am probably the exception here, but I grow my own bananas.
And without the use of any pesticides. I do occasionally use some
locally manufactured fertilizer made specifically for bananas to
supplement the compost I add as often as I can produce it, to overcome
the shortcomings of this very poor clay and volcanic origin soil.
And I can attest to the fact they are far superior to any found on
supermarket isles on the mainland. Those commercially grown bananas are
rather heavily fertilized and cut while still quite green. They are then
artificially ripened in transit by the use of gases pumped into closed
cargo holds. Many commercially grown bananas are also sprayed with harsh
pesticides.
Mine are cut just as the skins begin to change color from deep green to
a lighter green with a slight yellowish tint and allowed to naturally
ripen in open air for three to seven days.
--Dan in Sunny Puerto Rico--