When I first saw cassabanana growing at Adam’s orchard I thought what kind of a tree is that? But it turned out that the hanging fruits were actually growing on a vine climbing up the tree. Cassabanana is not a banana at all, it’s in the squash family from South and tropical America. The skin on these are smooth and solid so it’s not susceptible to pickleworm damage.
I didn’t try eating the fruit because I wasn’t feeling brave then, but I heard that it tastes like cantaloupe and it can be eaten like cucumber when it’s young. I sprouted a bunch of seeds and I planted several plants under two sesbanias and two gliricidias today. I’ll definitely eat one if I manage to grow it successfully.
Originally posted on 2021-05-04, part of the daily planting journal behind Ha’a Chocolate’s food forest on Hawai’i Island.