Do you ever watch the British "Antiques Roadshow"? What fun to see how much (or how little) some of those treasures are worth. A few weeks ago, the Antiques Roadshow crew was in Devonshire, England, talking about something surprising: bananas!
I had to do more homework on why this scenic spot in England is known for bananas. In the 1900's, an Englishman named William Cavendish was touring around China and saw an interesting banana tree in a garden there. He brought it home, and had it growing in his personal greenhouse.
Nothing more than an interesting gardening story, right? After all, bananas originated in China and Vietnam, and what gardener doesn't like to bring home an exotic new plant?
Fast forward now to the 1950's, when this banana variety, now known as the Cavendish, became famous because it escaped Panama disease, a malady that was affecting the Gros Michel variety of bananas and bringing havoc to the banana producing industry. The Cavendish came to the rescue of the industry, and had loads of good things going for it: it's a smaller, sturdy plant, about eight feet tall. Being smaller in stature, it can withstand the wind and the weather better. It grows quickly and yields very well. An article in "The New Yorker" magazine says that the Cavendish is rich in vitamins B6 and C, has lots of fibre, and because it is a heavy producer, it is very reasonable priced. Guess what, I learned that Americans ate almost eight billion pounds of the Cavendish banana in 2008!
And I also learned this interesting little factoid: bananas became popular in the 1800's when railway companies saw the possibility of a really good thing, and began banana plantations along their rail lines. Not only could they make money from their passengers, but by carrying produce as well. Bananas became easily accessible, the price then went down, and lo and behold, an exotic new fruit was now available to everyone. Now we know!
The Yorkton and District Horticultural Society will be hosting a garden tour to see the prize winning entries on Thursday, July 28. Everyone is welcome on this tour. The tour will depart from the Yorkton Public Library (Broadway location), one at 9 a.m. and one at 1 p.m. The group will travel as a gardening caravan from location to location. There is no charge to go along and everyone is welcome. It's always inspiring to see all the hard work and creativity that goes into all these beautiful entries, so don't miss this great opportunity to see some exciting horticulture!
And mark this date on your calendar: Tuesday August 9 is the date of the Fruit, Flower and Vegetable Display Show. The show is from 2 p.m. - 6 p.m at St. Gerard's Parish Complex on Third Avenue. Your admission price includes coffee and dainties. You'll see all kinds of exciting displays and exhibits, so plan to join us!
That's it for this time; enjoy the sun and the heat, but be careful of both if you're out in your garden! Wear a hat, protect yourself against mosquitoes, and have a good week!
