There are ten bunches of bananas hanging on our Misi Luki tree at the moment.  We have already harvested three bunches in autumn.  Last year, we only had two bunches, so we are very surprised that our tree has cropped so heavily this year.  Each bunch contains approximately 80-100 bananas and they all tend to ripen at the same time.  In spring, several bunches may ripen at the same time, leading to a glut of bananas.  We used to freeze them in zip lock bags free flow for using in our daily green smoothie but lately we have noticed that frozen bananas make the texture very thick and the taste isn’t nice.  I have spent some time researching the different ways bananas can be used and thought it might be helpful to share my findings incase other gardeners are in the same situation as us, or if anyone in general has some bananas sitting in their fruit bowl that are overripe and need to be used soon.  This list is not exhaustive.  There are probably lots of ways of using bananas that I haven’t thought of and bananas might be consumed in different dishes in other parts of the world.  Please share your ideas.  I am very interested in them!

Breakfast

• On top of porridge
• With granola
• In bircher muesli
• Sliced on top of other cereals
• Smoothie bowls
• Waffles
• French toast
• Pancakes

Lunch

• Sliced on toast
• In sandwiches
• In wraps
• In croissants
• Sliced in a toasted sandwich with peanut butter

Snacks

• Banana chips
• Pikelets
• Fritters
• Chocolate coated truffles

Meals

• BBQed plantains wrapped in foil
• In curries
• Fruit sushi
• Risotto
• Spring rolls
• In fruit rice paper rolls
• Fish cooked in banana leaves

Desserts

• Mille-feuille
• Mousse
• Pavlova
• Tiramisu
• Pudding
• Cheesecake
• Banana split
• Ice cream sundae
• S’Mores
• On dessert pizza
• Tartlets
• Tart
• Pie
• Trifle
• Eclairs
• Eton mess
• In crepes
• Tarte tatin
• In a parfait
• Ambrosia
• Strudel
• Souffle
• Dumplings
• Bananas foster
• In fruit salads
• On Fruit platters
• Fried bananas
• Grilled bananas
• Served on skewers with chocolate fondue
• On skewers with other fruit
• Doughnuts
• Banoffee pie
• Crumble bake
• Cobbler
• On top of chia pudding
• Sweet quesadilla

Frozen desserts

• Banana pops
• Chocolate dipped frozen bananas
• Ice cream
• Gelato
• Sorbet
• Ice cream sandwiches

Cakes

• Traditional banana cake with cream cheese frosting
• Chocolate banana cake
• Banana cake with chocolate chips
• Banana caramel cake
• Hummingbird cake
• Carrot and banana cake
• Coconut and banana cake
• Sponge cake
• Layer cake
• Upside down cake
• Cupcakes

Other baking

• Banana bread
• Muffins
• Loaves
• Brioche
• Slices
• Bars
• Brownies
• Biscuits/cookies
• Scones
• Scrolls
• Shortbread
• Fudge

Savoury

• Chutney

​Drinks

• Fruit Smoothies
• Green smoothies
• Juices
• Milkshake
• Thickshake
• Lassi
• Daiquiri
• Granita
• Colada
• Mocktails

Seed sowing (indoors)
I advise against sowing seeds outdoors until September, when it is warmer.  I usually start sowing seeds indoors on my heat pad in August, but one exception is begonia semperflorens (waxy bedding begonias).  As they take a very long time to germinate and grow, begonia seeds can be sown undercover as early as May right through until September, according to the Egmont Seeds Commercial Catalogue.  That way, your heat pad(s) will be free by the time you want to start your seed sowing in late winter/early spring.
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Here are some pictures of bedding begonias that I raised from seed last season.

​Planting
You can plant the following outside:

• Lily bulbs.  Bulbs Direct still have a great range available on their website.
• Garlic.  Awapuni have a great deal on at the moment.  Buy a megabundle of 50 garlic plants and a 1.5kg bag of Nitrophoska Blue fertiliser for just $62.95.  Or you can buy a megabundle of 100 garlic plants and a 1.5kg bag of Nitrophoska Blue fertiliser for just $99 (ie receive the fertiliser free!) 
• Strawberries. Awapuni still have Ventana strawberry plants in stock.  Buy a regular bundle of 4 plants for $6.50, 10 plants for $13.50, a megabundle of 50 plants for $55 or a megabundle of 100 plants for $99.
• Onions.  Awapuni have Pukekohe Longkeeper brown onion seedlings and California Red onion seedlings in stock right now.
• Roses.  I am awaiting a standard rose I ordered from Tasman Bay Roses called the Lady of Shalott.  It is a David Austin variety.
• Fruit trees.  Now is the perfect time to plant deciduous fruit trees, including stone fruit.  

​Orders
You can place orders for the following now:

• Dahlias.  Bulbs Direct recently uploaded their catalogue online. Be sure to check the website frequently as Kayne is always adding new varieties and more stock of existing varieties.
• Seed potatoes.  Bulbs Direct have a great range of seed potatoes available on their website.  Awapuni will be getting their seed potatoes in stock soon so sign up to notifications on their website so you’re the first to know when they go on sale
• Seeds.  Italian Seeds Pronto has a lovely selection of Italian heirloom seeds on their website, including the famous Franchi Seeds range.  

Indoors
Here is a list of tasks you can do indoors, which is perfect for when it’s raining.

• Wash old plastic punnets with a weak solution of bleach diluted in some warm water to disinfect them of germs, so they are clean and ready to be re-used in spring
• Wipe old plastic plant labels clean by rubbing the writing with a little household cleaner (I use Jiff) and leave them to dry, so they are ready for re-using in spring
• Extract seeds from any plants that you have saved seeds from and brought indoors.  For us, that includes peas, dahlias and superhot chillies
• Organise your seed collection.  Make a list of what you already have and note the expiry date, so you don’t re-order those ones.  Make a list of what you need for the spring and summer garden so you are ready to go when seed catalogues become available later this month
• Reading.  The latest gardening book I added to my collection is Floret Farm’s Cut Flower Garden by Erin Benzakein.  Don’t forget that I also write a gardening blog (which you will be aware of if you are reading this) and a free weekly gardening newsletter.  If you wish to receive it by email every week, email me at anitakundu.nz@gmail.com and write “subscribe” in the subject field.  Don’t forget that the current issue and all back issues are published on my website www.anitakundu.co.nz