How to Harvest Fresh Bananas to Eat

Banana plants, or banana trees, as they are more commonly called, produce some of the tastiest fruit. With the right climate and soil conditions, watching a banana plant mature is fascinating. Patience in picking the fruit is one of the tricks to harvest fresh bananas to eat.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Sturdy ladder
• Sharp machete
• Heavy chain or rope

1. 
   Growing banana fruit.

   Wait 9 to 12 months for the banana plant to produce mature, sweet tasting bananas before harvesting fresh bananas to eat. Note that each banana blossom produced from the large purple bud develops into a banana fruit and there will only be one bud per banana plant.

2. 
   Harvest-ready apple bananas.

   Look at the bananas carefully. Harvest fresh apple banana fruit when the bananas are 4 to 6 inches in length and the ridges on the fruit are more rounded. Note that length of bananas for harvesting will depend on the type of banana fruit being grown, though the rounded ridges on the fruit stands true for all types of bananas.

3. 

   Set up a sturdy ladder and have a strong helper hold it steady while harvesting the fresh banana fruit. Grip the machete firmly in one hand and strike the banana stem approximately 10 inches up from the fruit.

4. 

   Strike stem again in the same spot, but this time hold the stem tightly with the other hand directly above the fruit. Make clean cuts.
   
   Allow plenty of room from the cut mark to where you are holding the stem. Steady yourself on the ladder before the final cut is made as a mature banana stalk can weigh anywhere from 40 to 100 pounds depending on the number of fingers (bananas) on the stem.

5. 
   Harvest fresh bananas.

   Hang the cut fresh banana stem from a heavy chain attached to an overhead beam, or something similar, to allow air to circulate around the fruit. Pick banana fruit from the stalk as it ripens. Remember to cut down the banana plant after harvesting the fresh bananas to eat as each banana plant only produces one stem of bananas.

Tips & Warnings

• Break off several clusters of fresh green bananas for friends, family and neighbors.
• Apple bananas have a sweet apple flavor and are an excellent choice for desserts. Banana split anyone?
• Be extremely careful when cutting banana stalks with a machete. Make sure the person helping is mature enough to handle the task.

[bossypants]

on 11/5/2009 I have never EVER known anyone who harvested their own bananas! The surprises never end! Fabulous pictures!

[ReuseItAll]

on 11/4/2009 Oh my gosh, I want to come be your neighbor!!! First, I can completely picture doing this properly based on your steps so GREAT article. Second, I would try my very best but I don't think I could get a banana treat to grow here in NJ. Oh how I'd love it though! My kids are all mesmerized by your photos and the gigantic bunches of bananas that you and your husband harvested! WOW!!!

[veryirie]

on 11/3/2009 Yes, that's a real machete the hubby is holding in the photo. It's been used for years and probably looks it too; it's a very handy tool.

[slphilbrick]

on 11/3/2009 That's very cool info ! Of course, I've watched Survivor so I can wield a machete'. Um, you really use a MACHETE'?:-)

[ScarlettOHairy]

on 11/2/2009 Wow, what an education! I didn't know how bananas were harvested for real. I've only done it in Farm Town and that's so easy. ;o)