http://www.latimes.com/food/dailydis...119-story.html
Local bananas return to Santa Monica farmers market
After an 18-year absence, Southern California-grown bananas have
returned to the Santa Monica farmers market. First-time farmer Andy
Sheaffer of Vista Punta Gorda ranch in Ventura County harvested his
first crop of organic fruit last week, in time for last week's Wednesday
market.
Thirty minutes into the market last Wednesday, customers had plundered
Sheaffer's supply of tree-ripened, canary yellow bananas, leaving behind
boxes of unripe green clusters, called hands, for latecomers.
Of the eight varieties now in production at Vista Punta Gorda, four were
on the display: the Brazilian dwarf, often called an €śapple banana€ť in
Hawaii for its apple-like flavor and jolt of acidity; the Raja Puri, an
Indian variety comparable to the Brazilian dwarf with smaller fruit and
a subtle crunchiness; the Cardaba, a popular cooking banana from the
Philippines with faint, salmon colored flesh and stick-straight fruit;
and the blue-hued Ice Cream banana, so named for its pronounced vanilla
flavor.
Longtime market shoppers will remember the now-defunct Seaside Banana
Gardens, which supplied several Los Angeles area markets €” and a
roadside stand alongside Highway 101 €” with nearly 60 varieties of
bananas from the mid-'80s to the late '90s. It was often cited as the
first banana farm in the continental United States. Owner Doug
Richardson stopped selling at the farmers market shortly after a 1995
landslide flooded the backside of his farmland with mud.
Richardson ultimately vacated the La Conchita property in 1999, six
years before the western face of the ranch collapsed in a mudslide that
killed 10 residents and destroyed 13 houses.
Survivors were given ownership of the property as part of a settlement
and sold it to Andy Sheaffer in 2008. (The aspiring farmers background
as a contractor specializing in erosion control and hillside
stabilization is no doubt comforting to the residents who live below.)
Two years later, Sheaffer bought the remaining banana trees from
Richardsons personal nursery and began rebuilding the La Conchita
banana industry on a south-facing slope.
Today he farms eight acres of bananas, four of which are densely
interplanted with avocados, a water-efficient permaculture technique
popular in Australia, where it has proved to limit root rot and pests.
The challenge, Sheaffer says, will be maintaining a steady production.
€śYou can grow bananas almost anywhere as long as it doesnt freeze,€ť he
says. €śBut to get it to produce fruit regularly and thrive €” thats the
big challenge in our climate.€ť
Over the last month, a steady trickle of ominous headlines has caused a
panic over Panama Tropical Race 4 (TR4), an unstoppable fungal disease
that has decimated banana plantations in Asia, the Middle East and
Australia. The victim is the ubiquitous, but mostly flavorless,
Cavendish banana €” sometimes snubbed as a €śhotel banana€ť in banana-rich
countries €” but neither Sheaffer nor Richardson appear concerned about
the disease reaching Ventura County.
€śThe genetic diversity of bananas is so great,€ť Richardson says. €śSome
of the best tasting bananas in the world are completely immune to Panama
disease.€ť
For now, shoppers can expect bananas at the Wednesday Downtown and
Sunday Main Street markets. All four varieties sell for $4 per pound or
$7 for 2 pounds. Also, look for Vista Punta Gorda bananas on the menus
of local restaurants, including Providence, MĂ©lisse, Cassia and the
Rustic Canyon family of restaurants.
Wednesday Santa Monica farmers market, 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Arizona
Avenue and 2nd Street, Santa Monica, (310) 458-8712,
www.smgov.net.