Category
Weekly Posts
Here at Wildane there is always the perpetual task of weeding. This week I spent over 25 hours clearing the fruit forest of weeds to make space for future planting. The soil in the fruit forest is so fertile that… Continue Reading →
Cavendish bananas are the only banana variety exported across the world, and the only banana widely available in the contiguous United States. Americans on average consume about 26 pounds of bananas each year (Bananaland). Yet the very banana so many Americans know… Continue Reading →
Last week I harvested four bunches of bananas. The two I tasted in this lab were Java Blue and Kru. Both bunches came from trees that had fallen in the banana forest and were picked earlier than usual in order… Continue Reading →
This week I focused a lot on banana trees and fruit forest maintenance. I was able to pick four banana bunches that were each a different variety. I also planted banana plants at Roy’s house from what I uprooted here at Widane… Continue Reading →
For most Americans Banana Republic is just a retail clothing company, but for millions of Latin Americans it means over a century of hardship and oppression. “Banana republic” is a derogatory term used to describe countries or regions in Latin… Continue Reading →
This past Saturday Esther, Jimmy, and I went to the Huertos Casero (or Home Garden) festival. The festival takes place in Gurabo, a city about an hour south of Rio Grande, and happens only once a year. The purpose of… Continue Reading →
This week I tried various new tropical fruits. The two I tried from the farm were Bilimbi Fruit and Guava; they are both grown in the fruit tree forest on the property. Bilimbi is a small, green, oval-shaped fruit with the… Continue Reading →
Before this trip I had only ever tasted Cavendish bananas. Luckily at Wildane there are six varieties: Apple, Java Blue, Red, Kru, Niño, and the infamous Cavendish. Luckily, this week I was able to harvest a bunch of apple bananas and… Continue Reading →
When you walk through the banana forest on the Wildane property you would assume it’s been there for years.The ground is covered in old banana leaves.You almost feel encaged within the trunks. Banana plants tower twenty feet above you;… Continue Reading →