LONG PROMO:   All right.  You all know what these are – regular bananas.  Take a look at this.  We are going on an adventure in the banana section.  All the different varieties of bananas that we’re starting to see in the produce section – from the little tiny babies to the big cooking…oh, those plaintains  So joint me next week… Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.

SHORT PROMO:  Hey, there’s a whole world of bananas other than these!  Join me next week…Michael Marks, Your Produce Man.
                                                                                                         
BABY BANANAS (Monday, December 24):  Hey, have you been checking out some of the gifts underneath the Christmas tree that you’re going to be opening tonight and tomorrow?  Well, you know you go into the banana section and look at some of the packages there.  This is what most of you think of a banana.  This is what we call a Cavendish banana, but there is a world of bananas other than just the Cavendish.  We’re going to start with the little baby ones.  In fact, that’s what they’re called – little babies or finger bananas because they’re only about three inches long and about the size of somebody’s big finger.  These are fantastic.  You know what I love to do with these?  They start out green.  Don’t worry about that.  They start out green, but they turn to a beautiful yellow color/golden color as they ripen.  But one of the things I love to do with these.  Just like Go-Gurt, you know in the store?  When they’re really ripe, what you can do - just cut of the top just like this.  When they’re super ripe, actually what you can do is rub them just like this right in your hand, and it will just be like yogurt coming out.  Your kids will absolutely love these little baby bananas, especially when they’re super ripe like that, and eat them like a Go-Gurt.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.   

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, in the world of bananas, we’re starting with the babies.

BURROW BANANAS (Tuesday, December 25): Hey, hope you guys are having a merry Christmas.  You’re probably seeing some gifts underneath the Christmas tree – “Oh, those are some weird gifts, but I’ll enjoy them.” Well, you go to the banana section you might find some weird bananas these days.  Take a look at these.  These are called burrow bananas.  They kind of look like…and their square…unbelievable.  These are really popular in many, many Asian countries, South America, of course Cuba - fantastic banana.  These will actually ripen to a beautiful yellow color.  But when they ripen, here’s what you want – you want to make sure they get some little brown specks on them.  That’s when they’re at their fullest.  Now inside - oh, my goodness – these have a really nice creamy color inside, but the flavor is really creamy.  Don’t worry.  See those little black seeds?  Yeah, that’s right.  These are actually berries, multicelled fruit with many seeds, but the seeds are totally edible.  Anyway this is called a burrow banana.  If you’ve never tried a burrow banana, you’ve to try them.  They look funky, and weird, and square, but they taste great.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report…in the world of bananas, these are called burrow bananas.

MANZANO BANANAS (Wednesday, December 26):  ’You know all this week we’re talking about bananas because there’s a whole world of bananas other than just the Cavendish.  This is actually the variety we call a Cavendish, and it’s the main variety grown around the world that we see in supermarkets around the world, but there’s a whole world of bananas.  One of my favorites, also called a desert banana, is right here.  It’s called a Manzano.  This banana is unbelievable.  This banana, by the way, takes 15 months from the time you plant the plant to the time you harvest this.  15 months - that’s a long time!  It better be worth the wait, and believe me, it is!  Inside, oh my goodness, this has one of the creamiest textures of any of the bananas, and it has a beautiful apple banana flavor.  If you love apples, that beautiful apple flavor, oh these are fantastic.  This is also called one of the desert bananas because if you love cooking with bananas, you’re going to absolutely die over cooking with Manzano bananas.  It’s called Manzano.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.

TEASE: Hey, in my next Produce Man report, if you love cooking with bananas for desert, you’ve got to try a Manzano.

PLANTAINS (Thursday, December 27):  We’re talking about the world of bananas all this week.  Now, everybody knows, of course, the Cavandish variety.  That’s the main variety we all eat.  This is probably the second most popular here in the United States – not the most popular around the world  This is actually called a vegetable in many parts of the world.  It’s called a plantain or plantanos.  Now this variety, actually most people around the world will eat them when  they’re just like this – dead green.  It’s full of starch.  Anyway that you cook a potato, you cook a plantain.  As it ripens, it turns this ugly, ugly color just like this.  There’s nothing wrong with this.  This is the way a ripe plantain is supposed to look.  Now you can cook it for desert.  Now, I’m going to cut this.  I want to show you something with this.  You’re just going to cut off the ends just like so, and then what you’re going to do, you’re going to cut it right down this part right here.   Then you’re going to put your thumb right underneath there.  That’s how you’re going to peel it.  Now, actually you can bake this.  Just take a fork and poke it and bake it.  They’re fantastic, but this is how you’re going to peel it as well.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man.  

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, bananas – plantain bananas, cooking bananas.
  
RED BANANAS (Friday, December 28):  You know, all this week we’ve been talking about bananas. I’m trying to get you ready for a new year – 2008.  I want you to try new produce items in the new year, so I thought I’d spend the last weeks here of this year getting you ready for that.  Now, we’ve been talking about bananas all week, and here is one of the most colorful bananas.  Do you know what we call this in the produce industry?   Yeah, that’s right.  We call them red bananas.  That’s because they’re red.  They’re also called Spanish red, Cuban red, many…you just put a name in front of it and red at the end.  It’s a red banana.  Now red bananas are actually a very cool banana.  I love these red bananas.  My son, when he was growing up, he used to love these because they almost have a strawberry, almost a raspberry aftertaste to it.  Now the inside - I love the inside because as the inside ripens, the inside will actually turn to a beautiful pink color, which is why I love these.  You know, you get the banana pudding.  I love to put these in a banana pudding because of the color inside.  The more red color actually, the more antioxidants in them as well.  I’m Michael Marks…Your Produce Man. 

TEASE:  Hey, in my next Produce Man report, what are these called?  They’re red.  They’re bananas.  That’s right – red bananas.

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