Banana Site | 
04 20th, 2009| 
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Packaging a banana plant for shipping.
This banana corm is being wrapped and packaged for shipping. Thread on Bananas.org is here: http://www.bananas.org/showthread.php?t=2988 …
Duration : 0:1:45
Apr
19
The Tropical Look is a truly unique compendium of nearly 2000 plants that evoke languorous landscapes of swaying palms, dripping banana leaves, and vibrant frangipani blossoms.
It is meant primarily for gardeners who live in USDA hardiness zones 8 and higher, but gardeners who live in cooler zones
Apr
18
Do you want to eat healthier but do not know where to start? Are you trying to incorporate more fruits and vegetables into your diet but are finding it difficult to eat five servings or more a day? What about all the supplements and antioxidants you read about? How do you keep it all straight? Who has time to sort through the data much less prepare and eat everything you should?
The solution may lie in a smoothie! Smoothies are fruit based concoctions usually blended with milk or yogurt and an unlimited selection of “add-ons” and blended until smooth. Smoothies are ultra-fast, convenient, rejuvenating, energizing meal replacements. If you choose your ingredients carefully, your smoothie can relieve fatigue and constipation, balance your blood sugar, establish proper PH levels in your colon, and improve mental sharpness.
The real beauty of smoothies lies in their versatility. You can incorporate as many of the “shoulds” into your smoothie as you like. You “should” take more Vitamin C. You “should” take cod liver oil every day. You “should” introduce seaweeds and algaes into your diet. The “shoulds” are varied and numerous.
A smoothie is a fabulous solution because it is much easier to pour a teaspoon of cod liver oil into your pineapple banana smoothie than to drink it solo. The same holds true for many of the somewhat unpalatable ingredient choices.
Smoothies are a great chance for you to exercise your personal taste and creativity. You can start with a bag of frozen berries or hit the produce department for fresh fruit that you enjoy. Any juicy fruit is a great choice for a smoothie. Be creative and avoid ingredients that you do not care for.
Any yogurt,milk or kefir will do the trick but some experts recommend avoiding pasteurization and low fat dairy products for health reasons so if you are trying to switch to a raw diet you can use raw milk or make your own raw yogurt to use in the smoothie. You can also use raw, organic, cage free eggs for an inexpensive high quality protein boost. If you are a vegan or want to avoid dairy altogether then use soy milk, rice milk, firm tofu chunks or simply forgo that aspect of your smoothie altogether.
Grasses have tremendous nutritional and cleansing properties. You can grow your own wheatgrass and juice it fresh into your smoothie or you can purchase grass powder superfoods such as Vitamineral Green which is high in vitamins, minerals, essential amino acids, chlorophyll, probiotics, and enzymes.
Some great additions to your smoothies can include algaes such as ultra cleansing chlorella and spirulina with 96 trace minerals. Another ingredient that is easiest eaten in a smoothie is freshly ground flax seed which will provide you with valuable plant based Omega 3 oils as well as soluble and insoluble fiber. Keep a coffee grinder next to your smoothie machine to make sure the flax seed is added to your smoothie immediately after grinding to prevent oxidation.
Some other ingredients you can try are ginseng, raw cacao, aloe vera, vegetable powders, coconut oil, ground nuts such as almonds or walnuts and medicinal herbs such as cinnamon.
You can purchase plastic take out cups with lids and straws and leave the house every morning with a few of your fruit servings out of the way in addition to meeting or exceeding many of your other nutritional requirements. Smoothies are a fun, delicious, nutritious way to maximize your health in a creative way that is limited only by your imagination.
Sheryl Lyon
http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/top-reasons-to-drink-smoothies-132386.html
Apr
17
Jason Hill of Chef Tips shows you how to make a moist banana bread recipe that is sure to please your entire family!
This easy banana bread recipe makes a very moist banana bread. You can turn it into a banana nut bread recipe by simply adding about a cup of gourmet black walnuts, which make the tastiest addition over traditional walnuts.
This recipe came from a bed and breakfast in the California mountains, and the secret to its moistness comes from sour cream! It’s an old fashioned banana bread recipe.
Duration : 0:2:47
Apr
16
Skin doesn’t become dry because it lacks oil, but because it lacks moisture. Only a lucky few of us have ‘normal’ skin; the rest of us have dry, oily or combination skin; if dryness is your skin problem, read on.
Skin is one of the most important parts of the body; it’s our largest organ. The dermis is structurally divided into two areas: a superficial area adjacent to the epidermis, called the papillary region, and a deep thicker area known as the reticular region. Our skin also receives less blood flow and lower gland activity than the other organs in our body.
Serious skin complications, including a dry skin condition, can arise for people with type 2 diabetes. If you break out on the skin around your eyes, it could be the shellac in your mascara; buy a shellac-free mascara like Ecco Bella’s. Skin gets exposed to the elements, especially in winter, causing it to become drier.
Environmental factors, such as exposure to sun, wind, cold, chemicals, or cosmetics, or excessive bathing with harsh soaps, can cause dry skin. Dry skin can be due to a genetic condition but it’s not common. The symptoms most associated with dry skin are: scaling, which is the visible peeling of the outer skin layer, itching, and cracks in the skin.
The next time you want to have a snack, instead of junk food, help your skin – have an apple, orange, peach, pear, banana, plum, grapes, cherries, berries, cantaloupe or any other fresh fruit. Eat at least two organic apples a day while working to clear up your skin; apples are good for skin health – organic so you can eat pesticide-free skin (most of the apple pectin is in the skin), which helps with constipation too. Consider taking cod liver oil or fish oil supplements, in liquid form, every day.
If you use moisturizers, use the thick, oily-type which work better for dry skin. Avoid all products that have an alcohol base. Use bath oils and moisturizers, or better yet, coconut oil, daily.
Use coconut oil to remove your make-up at night, like I do; it leaves a fine layer of oil to nourish your skin all night long; but better yet, apply more coconut oil. Apply coconut oil to irritated or chapped lips as well; it’s edible, so it’s safe and so healing to the lips. Use can use bath oils and moisturizers every day, but coconut oil has the added power of healing.
Coconut oil is very inexpensive – a great, cheap home remedy for all skin conditions. To see what coconut oil can do for your skin fast, apply coconut oil several times a day and at bedtime.
The skin must be regularly cleaned or it’ll become cracked or inflamed. The skin supports its own ecosystem of microorganisms, including yeasts and bacteria, which cannot be removed by any amount of cleaning.
Following some of the above treatments, your dry skin should be well on its way to recovery. Call your doctor or naturopath when your skin feels itchy all over your body, with or without a visible rash. See your doctor or naturopathic doctor if your skin doesn’t improve in spite of your best efforts.
Helen Hecker
http://www.articlesbase.com/non-fiction-articles/cheap-helpful-facts-tips-and-treatments-for-dry-skin-127856.html
Apr
15
Dream landscapes for most gardeners includes plants that exude tropical lushness. Yes, even for those who live in unlikely places like the upper Midwest and New England . If you’re such a garden optimist here’s your chance to include a giant, broad leafed beauty that can grow feet – not inches –
Apr
14
To grow bananas, plant them in a tropical climate, provide lots of warmth without too much direct sunlight and water them well. Grow a banana plant, which cannot withstand any freezing temperatures, with helpful advice from a sustainable gardener in this free video on gardening. …
Duration : 0:1:27
Apr
13
Do you know about these banana facts?
BANANAS
A professor at CCNY for a physiological psych class told his class about Bananas. He said the expression ‘going bananas’ is from the effects of Bananas on the brain.
Read on:
Never, put your banana in the refrigerator!
After reading this, you’ll never look at a banana in the same way again.
Bananas contain three natural sugars – sucrose, fructose and glucose combined with fiber.
A banana gives an instant, sustained and substantial boost of energy. Research has proven that just two bananas provide enough energy for a strenuous 90-minute workout. No wonder the banana is the number one fruit with the world’s leading athletes.
Energy isn’t the only way a banana can help us keep fit. It can also help overcome or prevent a substantial number of illnesses and conditions, making it a must to add to our daily diet.
Depression: According to a recent Survey undertaken by MIND amongst people suffering from depression, many felt Much better after eating a banana. This is because bananas contain tryptophan, A type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, known to make you Relax, improve your mood and generally make you feel happier.
PMS: Forget the pills – eat a banana. The vitamin B6 it contains regulates blood glucose levels, which can affect your mood.
Anemia: High in iron, bananas can stimulate the production of hemoglobin in the blood and so helps in cases of anemia.
Blood Pressure: This unique tropical fruit is extremely high in potassium yet low in salt, making it perfect to beat blood pressure. So much so, the US Food and Drug Administration has just allowed the banana industry to make official claims for the fruit’s ability to reduce the risk of blood pressure and stroke.
Brain Power: 200 students at a Twickenham (Middlesex) school were helped through their exams this year by eating bananas at breakfast, break, and lunch in a bid to boost their brain power. Research has shown that the potassium-packed fruit can assist learning by making pupils more alert.
Constipation: High in fiber, including bananas in the diet can help restore normal bowel action, helping to overcome the problem without resorting to laxatives.
Hangovers: One of the quickest ways of curing a hangover is to make a banana milkshake, sweetened with honey. The banana calms the stomach and, with the help of the honey, builds up depleted blood sugar levels, while the milk soothes and re-hydrates your system.
Heartburn: Bananas have a natural antacid effect in the body, so if you suffer from heartburn, try eating a banana for soothing relief.
Morning Sickness: Snacking on bananas between meals helps to keep blood sugar levels up and avoid morning sickness.
Mosquito bites: Before reaching for the insect bite cream, try rubbing the affected area with the inside of a banana skin. Many people find it amazingly successful at reducing swelling and irritation.
Nerves: Bananas are high in B vitamins that help calm the nervous system.
Overweight and at work: Studies at the Institute of Psychology in Austria found pressure at work leads to gorging on comfort food like chocolate and crisps. Looking at 5,000 hospital patients, researchers found the most obese were more likely to be in high-pressure jobs. The report concluded that, to avoid panic-induced food cravings, we need to control our blood sugar levels by snacking on high carbohydrate foods every two hours to keep levels steady. The banana is a perfect food option.
Ulcers: The banana is used as the dietary food against intestinal disorders because of its Soft texture and smoothness. It is the only raw fruit that can be eaten Without distress in over-chronicler cases. It also neutralizes over-acidity And reduces irritation by coating the lining of the stomach.
Temperature control: Many other cultures see bananas as a ‘cooling’ fruit that can lower both the physical and emotional temperature of Expectant mothers. In Thailand , for example, pregnant women eat bananas to ensure their baby is born with a cool temperature.
Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD): Bananas can help SAD sufferers because they contain the natural mood Enhancer tryptophan.
Smoking & Tobacco Use: Bananas can also help people trying to give up smoking. The B6, B12 they contain, as well as the Potassium and magnesium found in them, help the body recover from the effects of nicotine withdrawal.
Stress: Potassium is a vital mineral, which helps normalize the heartbeat, sends oxygen to the brain and regulates your body’s water balance. When we are stressed, our metabolic rate rises, thereby reducing our potassium levels. These can be rebalanced with the help of a high-potassium banana snack.
Strokes: According to research in The New England Journal of Medicine, eating bananas as part of a regular diet can cut the risk of death by strokes by as much as 40%!
Warts: Those keen on natural alternatives swear that if you want to kill off a wart, take a piece of banana skin and place it on the wart, with the yellow side out. Carefully hold the skin in place with a plaster or surgical tape! So, a banana really is a natural remedy for many ills.
When you compare it to an apple, it has four times the protein, twice the carbohydrate, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice the other vitamins and minerals. It is also rich in potassium and is one of the best value foods around. So maybe its time to change that well-known phrase so that we say, ‘A banana a day keeps the doctor away!’
PASS IT ON TO YOUR FRIEND
PS: Bananas must be the reason monkeys are so happy all the time! I will add one here; want a quick shine on our shoes??
Take the INSIDE of the banana skin, and rub directly on the shoe…polish with dry cloth.
The banana is an amazing fruit!!
Apr
12
Rener Gracie, head instructor of the world famous Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Academy in Torrance, CA, teaches you how to make a smoothie using apples and bananas. This smoothie follows the Gracie Diet Principles.
Duration : 0:9:48
Apr
11
(heirloom) 25 seeds/packet 70 days. 2 foot tall plants with 6 inch fruits. Goes from yellow to red-orange. Big winner for pickling and frying!