Blue Java bananas taste like vanilla ice cream and have a silvery blue peel that becomes a pale yellow when ripe. This type of vanilla, from Reunion Island, is an object of desire for many great chefs (and it costs around €1,150 per kilo) and benefits from a long maturation period. Product available for pre-orders in 2022. Vanilla also comes in a “blue” variety, although it isn’t actually blue in colour. When ripe, their texture is reminiscent of eggplant, while the taste is close to that of an apple. The plant’s flowers take a tubular shape, giving rise to purplish-blue fruits. Then there’s the purple apple-berry, a vine native to the forests of Australia and Tasmania. Small in size and reminiscent of the cocktail variety, this tomato, named OSU Blue, was created in the early 2000s by an American research institute. You can now even grow a blue variety in your garden if the weather conditions are humid and don’t exceed 25☌.

However, it’s actually not as rare as you might think. So is blue making its way onto our plates? Blueberries and Merlot grapes aside, the colour can seem unusual in the food world. In fact, in Hawaii, where it also grows, people took to calling it the “ice cream banana.” Blue is the new black

Its taste is also distinctly different, with a vanilla-like flavour. The hardy Blue Java can be found at altitudes of up to 1,800 meters and is grown in Fiji, the Philippines and Southeast Asia.īut the Blue Java banana isn’t just surprising for its colour. Because this blue banana is much better able to resist cold spells than the varieties we are used to, namely Musa acuminata and Musa balbisiana.īlue banana trees can withstand negative temperatures of up to -7☌, whereas yellow bananas are usually only grown in tropical environments. And it could well be a timely trend in light of COP26, where 80 countries have already committed to reducing methane emissions by 30% by 2030. It’s the most-hyped food of the moment! Its name: Blue Java. And, what’s more, this blue variety has a surprisingly delicious vanilla-like taste. It’s even able to resist the cold, which certainly isn’t the case with our usual yellow bananas. This variety grows in Asia and Fiji, on humid and sunny land. Has shown a weaker Pseudo stem and needs propping when fruiting to keep plant from falling over from the heavy weight of fruit.With climate change on the agenda, is it time we embraced the blue banana? You may not know it, but this fruit can also come in a striking bubble-gum shade. If the temps are high, fruit will turn black and rot. Before fully ripening, the banana peel exhibits a blue-green peel. Thanks to their ripening and travelling qualities and to refrigerated ships, bananas have been available since the first shipments to Britain from the Canaries in 1882. Blue Java bananas, also known as the 'Ice Cream' banana, originated in Southeast Asia, according to Minneopa Orchards. For example, there are small red bananas, long plump green bananas, purple bananas, and chubby baby bananas that are only 3 (7.5 cm) long. Taking their name from the Arabic word for 'finger', banan, they contain valuable nutrients: carbohydrates, potassium, carotene and vitamins A, B6 and E. There are around 1,000 varieties of bananas in different sizes, shapes, and even colors. Protect fruit in high temps by placing light colored paper over top of fruit. The common banana is a long-curved fruit with yellow-colored peel and starchy soft flesh. Over all this is a moderately tough subspecies. Folds leaves at high temps but recovers at night.

Will turn yellow with too much potassium and is not a fast grower in low humidity.

In arid climates has shown some susceptibility to high ph 7.0. Has shown good resistance to winds in excess of 50 mph. Tolerates sun but at higher elevations needs a fair amount of sun protection. Likes evenly moist, well-draining soil with fairly high levels of organics mixed and mulched.

Growth tips - This rather tallish banana grows well in a variety of climates, does well in containers and fruits easily.

Texture-wise, it's slightly more dense than whipped cream:it's very light, creamy, and fluffy. Need to wait 2-3 days after peel turns yellow for peak ripeness.

Taste Description - tart with little sweetness to balance it out.

Pseudostems get top heavy and can fall over if you have heavy bunches of fruit.

Cold Hardiness - CA zone 9 unprotected p-stem.

Fruiting Zone - CA zone 9 unprotected p-stem.

Peeled blue java bananas