Bananas
G'day all!
You may be wondering why a picture of a mostly nekked banana graces the top of this blog entry.
Well there is a story to that banana.
Last Wednesday, a bright and sunny day in Noble Park, Gibbering and I went to this place:
Heronswood, home of the Digger's Club, down in Dromana on the Mornington Peninsula. We went there to buy seeds. Seeds! Seeds! Bucketloads of seeds:
Can you tell I want a rather large vegie patch this year? There's a few ornamentals in there - the variegated corn, the Flander's poppies (which I grow for Pop, not that he liked them but they are symbolic of WWI), the sunflowers (but they also provide seeds).
After visiting Heronswood and coming away with a rather expensive load of seeds, we stopped in Dromana to get some lunch and look at a couple of craft shops. It was a dull and gloomy day in Dromana and this was our view:
This is where the bananas come in.
About 5 or 6 months ago, a cyclone rampaged across a particular part of Queensland (a northern aka tropical state of Oz). The particular part that provides a large proportion of Australia's banana crop. I can only guess this was a cyclone that was very hungry and had a taste for bananas as it destroyed the whole crop. We don't import bananas cos they already have enough diseases here without having more diseases that would wipe out the whole crop for ever and ever amen.
In response to the laws of supply and demand banana prices went through the roof, from about $3 a kilo to $12, $13, $14, $15 and a princely $16 a kilo.
So this most yummy banana
cost $2.15! And it was only a bubby one. Gibbering's cost $3! For a banana!
Mmmm, it was a good banana though. Almost perfectly ripe for my tastes. No chance of these blokes getting a look in:
Haven't had a banana for months. I feel sorry for the people with little kids who like bananas cos they will be feeling the pinch. Bananas are being blamed for an increase in inflation here - the Oz Bureau of Statistics reckons we are still eating bananas at the same rate. Well I am not! I reckon there will be plenty o people out there who are not eating bananas either. Petrol is a factor but I am not so sure about bananas contributing greating to inflation.
Now in case you think I am teasing you with indications of knitting, I show you this teaser. The socks as at yesterday morning:
anon!
I can't believe people are still eating them at the same rate. They're $15 at woolies, when they have them, and they very rarely have them in stock any more.
ReplyDeleteAnd they're my favourite fruit :(
Yes, we had no bananas for a while and now they are not only expensive, but boogelly. I bought 2 but ended up giving The Labradors a banana each. They like bananas and still ate them.
ReplyDeleteYummy!!!!!!!!!!!!1
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoyed it as we haven't had bananas in our house for months as they are sooooooooooo expensive.
The youngsters are eating pears, kiwi fruit and apples instead.
Cathy
i'm allergic, so a banana shortage wouldn't bother me. liam doesn't care for them, except in banana bread (which i won't bake, i can't STAND the smell), and sean doesn't ask for them (i think he gets his fill at daycare & school). mark's allergic to them, too, but in a different way. with me, i barf as soon as they hit bottom. with him, his tongue itches, and his throat gets to feeling funny. he can have banana chips, though (must be the enzyme in the fresh ones) here's hoping the next crop comes in ok
ReplyDeleteMeatmik lvoes bananas. Glad that our crop seems to be healthy - still hanging in there at ¢ per pound.
ReplyDeletethat was supposed to be 69¢
ReplyDeleteIf I thought they would survive the trip I would buy some and ship them to you! I bought a bunch for 39¢ a lb last week at a fruit mart up the street. Of course once you figure in the shipping it may eliminate the savings...
ReplyDeleteLovely lovely sock progress!
I'm allergic to bananas too, but they're the beau's favourite fruit so I buy one or two each week. I figure I buy myself nice dark chocolate at the same time, and it's about as expensive.
ReplyDeleteWow - that's a lot for a banana!
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to seeing how your garden turns out now you've bought all those exotic looking seeds!
How I miss bananas - a nice quick snack for the kidlets. but way too dear for us at the moment.
ReplyDeleteI know the prices of bananas are shocking! I am so glad I no longer make banana loaves to sell. Mind you when we got a fresh fruit drink the other day they charged an extra 50c ontop for the banana in it!!
ReplyDeleteSocks look GORGEOUS!!
Katt
*shudder* I hate bananas - something about the texture just creeps me out.
ReplyDeleteSock is lovely tho!