My wife mentioned that she’d like to plant a banana here. We’re in zone 6. The Musa Basjoo is said to be compatible with our zone and every site describes the fruit as either “inedible” or just not very palatable. I can’t find any word about the banana hearts (premature flowers). I’d assume they’re “edible”, but are they any good? If we can make a few meals with banana heart from the backyard every year this hardy banana could be more than just a decoration, it could be useful in the kitchen.
As far as I understand they are not edible at all. But our in-house guru @Richard would certainly know better.
I’m growing 3 edible varieties myself, Goldfinger, Tall Namwah, And Dwarf Orinico.
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The species Musa basjoo is native to China. It is cultivated there and in Japan for fiber. I’ve not heard of anyone cooking the heart – which in bananas generally refers to the sepals surrounding the male portion of the inflorescence. For example, the purple heart-shaped structure in this photo:
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Thanks. Do you know of any that people might grow for the heart as far north as southern New England zone 6? It’d be nice to be able to make a good kare kare. The hearts that I’ve bought at ethnic stores aren’t nearly as good as the fresh hearts overseas.
The heart is something you get in addition to fruit. To do that with a traditional edible hybrid Musa in your zone typically takes 4+ years of indoor/outdoor growth.
as with banana peels which are actually edible, the hearts of most musa’s are typically edible(or at least non-toxic), but will have to be cooked to lessen the astringent and bitter characteristics. The least bitter and astringent would be the innermost portion-- which means the ‘heart’ of the heart, which would be the youngest center portion where the bracts are still blonde/cream-colored and crisp and crunchy, which have yet to develop the purple color and not yet flexible/fibrous. You could slice up the blonde parts into cubes and cook as you would bamboo shoots. The entirety of blonde portion: bracts, flowers and inner stem are eaten. In tropical asia, the hearts of the cultivar ‘saba’ is most preferred as it seems to have the least astringency/bitterness. Other cultivars have stubbornly lingering astringency even when cooked. Saba also has palatable fruits which makes it more desirable as a crop since the farmers simply wait for that stage where the viable hands of saba fruits have stopped, as depicted by what Richard posted above, and it is then when they cut off the hearts to be sold as a vegie. Preliminary source of income for the farmer while waiting for the saba hands to mature.
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Thanks for the lesson, Richard. My wife’s originally from Asia and we both like the food. I always thought the heart came before the bananas did. Indoor growth on a banana is a no for me. We barely have enough light in the wintertime for the calamondin.
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forgot to add, saba might be worth trying as it has some tolerance to cold.
you are actually right. The reason why banana hands appear posteriorly in pictures is because the bracts from the heart have already fallen off. Banana hearts are like little rockets which shed off their outer layers(bracts) as the hands unfurl.
This one looks like the kind of banana my wife sometimes cooks with. Would the Saba need to stay in a pot and be brought indoors during the winter, or can it be mulched in zone 6?
unfortunately saba is one of the tallest among musas and with the longest leafblades, so probably not advisable to grow as potted plant. If you have a high ceiling, it may still work, but probably too cumbersome!
I’m working with a low ceiling and probably not a lot of light for wintering over a banana.
It is the fibrous properties and lack of water columns that make the species M. basjoo freeze tolerant. Saba is a seedless hybrid (BBB) of Musa balbisiana and dies outdoors in the winters of true zone 8 and under.
Yes.
actually have saba sitting on our counter 
it is often sold as ‘burro banana’ in hispanic stores. Actually pretty good eaten fresh, and even better-tasting cooked.
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Typically refers to Orinoco, an ABB hybrid that is hardy to very mild zone 8b.
Joe,
I am in New England. I planted Musa Basjoo 4-5 years ago in ground. I mulch it heavily and it survived well. This past winter, I did nit mulch it as thick as I did previously ( only about a foot). It was frozen to death!!!
I also attempt to grow dwarf Cavendish in pot. It has survived well but never grown big enough to fruit because we don’t have enough light and heat it needs in the house during our long winter. I finalky got rid of the plant ( had many babies every year) this year.
I grew up eating the babana heart, too. Not my favorite (not even close) but with some dishes, it is a favorite garnish.
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I actually never had it til I was an adult, but it’s essential for a good Kare Kare. My wife’s a Fil. We can grow the other veggies (except coconut, of course) here.
Perhaps the dwarf cavendish could do OK with some sunglight supplemented by light. Not a hot grow light or anything, I’m thinking LED or fluorescent, probably LED since we have kids and the light would have . The best light we have is a picture window that faces southeast.
In 6b, you will need a lot of effort. I am in zone 6a. I don’t have a green house. In the winter ( more like long, cold months like late Oct - late April). I put mine next to suothwest facing windows ( the best location in the house). They did not grow much but did not die, either. We have forced hot water but the house is dry. You need to get a humidifier for it, too.
Light, heat and moisture is key. Good luck.
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I think you’ll still have a challenge getting fruit. I’m zone 9b and it takes 18 - 24 months for me, in ground.
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I have seen banana heart cooked in a pressure cooker as one might cook artichokes – sometimes with a cup or two of Thai coconut curry. These hearts are large – 6 to 8 inches in length. Each person is served a portion of the heart.
Now I’m curious about banana hearts as a garnish. Are these the hearts of small fruited cultivars, 2-3" in length so that each person is served a whole garnish on their plate?
No small pieces For Thais, before eating fresh babana heart, outer red “leaves” are removed first. Then, the whole heart is cut length-wise into small long sections and served that way. It usually acconpanies a dish like Pad Thai noodles and sometimes another noodle curry called Khanom Jeen Nam Ya.
Some people blanch those sections or cook them quickly in water or coconut milk (in coconut milk is preferrred) and used them as veggies eating with a very common dip called Nam Prik Kapi (spicy shrimp paste dip).
Others cook babana heart as cut up veggies in curry (with or without coconut milk). A popular recipe now is Babana heart Tempura. The heart is sliced and chopped up into pieces and mixed in a beaten egg and tempura flour batter with a little salt or fish sauce. Then, fry the batter like tempura.
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