The fruit can be harvested by cutting the stalk when the bananas are plump but green. For tree-ripened fruit, cut one hand at a time as it ripens. If latter is done, check stalk daily as rodents can eat the insides of every banana, from above, and the stalk will look untouched. Once harvested the stalk should be hung in a cool, shady place. Since ethylene helps initiate and stimulate ripening, and mature fruit gives off this gas in small amounts, ripening can be hastened by covering the bunch with a plastic bag.
Plantains are starchy types that are cooked before eating.
The antiquity of the banana and its tendency to produce mutations or sports have resulted in an extensive number of cultivars. Only the common ones growing in California are listed. Apple, Silk, or Manzana Dessert type, pleasant sub-acid apple flavor when fully ripe. Grows to 10 to 12 feet. The fruit is not ripe until some brownish specs appear on the skin.