Red Bananas

The red bananas are a variety of bananas with a skin that is reddish purple in color. The regular (Cavendish) bananas are larger than these fruits. The red ones are plumper than the regular bananas. These bananas have a flavor which resembles that of raspberry banana. The fruits are also aromatic. Red bananas grow in Asia and South America and are exported to other parts of the world from this region. Costa Rica is the region/country of origin of red bananas.

Red Bananas: Overview

The rind of a red banana is maroon/red in color. These are ideally eaten when in a slightly soft state. The bananas should also not be bruised at the time of eating. Storage of this fruit should be done at room temperature. Refrigeration of bananas is not recommended. The refrigeration process causes bananas to become mushy and therefore, need to be avoided. The health benefits of bananas along with information about its cultivation can be found in the following paragraphs.

Red Banana Plant
The leaves of this plant have a color ranging from yellow to burgundy. Skins of fruits have similar shades. Stalks of the red banana are formed in the late summer season. Ripening of the fruits takes place by spring. Height of the red banana tree ranges from 8-25 feet; the difference in height is attributed to different varieties.

Growing Red Bananas

This plant can be grown in the hardiness zones from 8 to 11. Let us have a look at the different points/factors associated with growing this plant.

Soil and Area
The soil used for growing red bananas needs to be well-drained; it should also be slightly acidic. Keeping the soil moist is necessary. To provide the plant with favorable conditions for growth, the place used for planting has to be dug out and filled with a mixture of 50% organic matter and 50% sand. It provides fertile and also a well-drained soil. It is necessary to plant the red bananas in bright sunlight; a little bit/partial shade won't cause much of a problem. Also protection from wind is necessary to avoid tearing of leaves.

Watering and Fertilizers
As stated above, the soil needs to be maintained in moist state for proper growth of this plant. Use of mulches should prove to be useful. It is however, necessary to avoid over watering. Monthly application of fertilizers is necessary in the growing season of red bananas. Those plants grown in containers require half the amount of fertilizers planted in fields. The dose of fertilizers for red bananas (younger) needs to be just over half pounds every month. Mature plants on the other hand, require 2 pounds of fertilizers as a monthly dose.

Red Banana Nutrition

The nutritional value of bananas is known to us. Red bananas too are highly nutritious. These bananas are rich in vitamin C. The degree/amount of vitamin C present in these bananas depend on how red the fruit is. This fruit is also rich in potassium content. The high content of potassium proves to be useful for those who are suffering from health problems like muscle cramps. The build up of cramps or stress after performing exercise can be reduced greatly by the intake of red bananas. The different red banana recipes can be used in preparation of salads. Slices of these bananas are used to prepare such kind of salads. Different kinds of baked foods also include red bananas in their ingredients. A healthy amount of red banana calories should keep the body fit.

The article presents information about red bananas taking into account different aspects of the red banana fruit. The red banana is a highly nutritious fruit that must be included our diet.