Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1903-01-03
BIG DEMAND FOR BANANAS
Fruit Which is a Good Substitute
for Meat.
THEIR FOOD QUALITIES.
Ten Carloads of "White Potatoes CT
the Tropics" Consumed in Mil
waukee Each Week.

Ten carloads of bananas are consumed
in Milwaukee every week and, according
to commission men who are in touch
with the fluctuations on the local banana
market. the demand is increasing daily.
One firm alone. the f. L. Godfrey Il
Sons Co, sold hundred more carloads
last year than before and the same in
crease has been experienced by other
commission men and dealers.
A Substitute for Meat.
The cause is found in the fact that
meat and other articles of food have ad-
vanced so sharply in price that people
have taken to bananas as a substitute.
Milwaukeeans are beginning to learn
HAT Lananas, "the white potatoes of the
tropics" are highly nutritious and may
be made up into palatable dishes in great
variety.
One banana contains as much nutri-
ment, it is said, as may be extracted
from two pounds of beef. Beef costs
about 20 cents per pound. while bananas
still sell at the old rate of two or three
for 5 certs.
Meat is now controlled by n trust, at
least that is the popular impression. 70
the popular mind this accounts for the
excessive prices charged. Bananas are
also controlled by trust IN this country,
but the price which the consumer pays
is No" no more than when the importa-
ton OF The fruit was in the hands of Il
multitude of small dealers. The trust is
called the United Fruit Company and Is
represented in Milwaukee by c. II. Pas
teur of the Fruit Dispatch Company Of
New York and Boston. Mr.. Pasteur
claims that prices are lower than ever
before and contrary to general precedent
in corporation combines. prices are lower
in the spring and fall, the busy seasons,
than at other times.
Ten Carloads a Week.
The ten carloads sold in Milwaukee
every week represent from $500 to 1850
punches, according to the grade. Mil
waukee's supply comes from Costa Rica,
requiring from eight to ten days to reach
here from the plantations. They are
packed green and many of them reach
this city IN green state. The ripening
process goes on, however, and it is pos
sible for the dealers to regulate the num-
Der of lunches to ripen each day. Bv
the use of electric fans the heat gencr-
ated by the ripening of the fruit is driv-
EN- off and the process may be regulated
at will.
Manager Pasteur recently returned
from Costa Rica, where he went to look
over the company's plantations. He has
written a book about bananas and he
is now preparing to enlighten the pub
lie more on the subject in order to teach
them that there are food properties in
bananas of recognized value. Hereto
fore Milwaukeeans have eaten bananas
more as relish or as they would eat
grapes or other fruit.
There are several methods of prepar
ing the banana for the table, of which
the following recipes are but a few.
Baked Banana.
These are to serve as a vegetable instead
of potatoes or peas with steak broiled
chops, roast lamb or broiled chicken.
Peel strip of skin from each banana.
loosen the pulp from the rest of the skin
but do not break 1t. Place the fruit in
baking pan. skin side down; for each
butter in two of water and pour over the
fruit; sprinkle with a little salt and sugar.
a few drops of lemon juice, and if served
with chicken tiny pinch of grated nutmeg.
Bake until tender and well glazed.
Bananas in Syrup.
Put pint of currant or strawberry iuice
In a saucepan Of the latter add a little
lemon juice, add one cup of sugar and LET
boil up; then drop in dozen small, peeled
ripe bananas and simmer very gently for
twenty minutes. Lift the bananas out
carefully and boil the syrup down until
rather thick; then pour over the fruit ana
serve cold.
Banana Fritters.
Select very ripe bananas for this pur.
pose. Pare three and cut them in small
pieces Beat the yolks of three eggs very
light and add to the banana and beat to n
pulp. Then add a tablespoonful of sugar
a tablespoonful of butter, a tablespoonful
of lemon juice little grated nutmeg, a cup
milk and one and one-half cups of -four, or