We consume a lot of bananas – mainly in the smoothies I make. I laugh when I see smoothie recipes that call for 1 banana, 3 strawberries, 1/4 cup blueberries, etc., while I grab about 3 frozen bananas, a basket of strawberries and 2 handfuls of blues. For one serving. 
Smoothies are a big deal – and our large glasses reflect that emphasis.
I really try to buy only local vegetables and fruit. So isn’t it ridiculous and hypocritical that I’m single-handedly funding the mega corporations in South America that strip the land for banana plantations, enslave the local people to poverty-level wages, and pour noxious pesticides onto our beloved Earth? No to mention the fact that the bananas I use have to be flown up here so my sorry-ass white suburban middle-class self can have her perfect smoothie every day. I swear those companies (or is it just one company?) should send me a thank you note.
I usually buy organic bananas, which supposedly avoids the poisoning-Mother-Earth side of this. My little “health” grocery store sells organic bananas ranging from .59 to 1.19 per pound. Stefan and I have a relationship with the produce guy there… and he actually calls us when his bananas are over ripe to sell to us for an incredible deal, sometimes as low as .10 a pound.
What I love about this is that he can’t sell them, I don’t think a homeless shelter would necessarily take them, and we love them. Over-ripe bananas make the best smoothies when you freeze them. It’s like ice cream!
The best part is that creating those local grocery connections is like knowing our organic farmer. (As I’ve said before, the organic farmer is a hero – a Wonder Woman or Superman!) Our children get a better sense of where their food comes from (whether it’s flown in from South America or picked next door), they learn about interpersonal communication with local stores, and they see that one person’s mush destined for the dumpster is another person’s delectable, nutritious breakfast.
(Rumor has it that we should enjoy as many bananas as we can – while we still have the chance – and if you click on that link, don’t miss the fabulous comments at the end.)
______________
My niece responded to my post about bananas, and I just have to highlight her words here. You know, I live on an avocado orchard – I can freeze avocados and make them my new smoothie base instead of bananas – they’re just as creamy and I can add organic strawberries from the organic farm next door to sweeten. I’m totally inspired to action after reading her reality check… Here’s her comment:
“I won’t eat bananas anymore because my roommate Spencer is taking this Food & Culture class and told me all the fucked up things about its production. (everyone in the area has cancer because they fly over the area 40 times a year spraying pesticides, the boxes the bananas are shipped in are covered in formaldehyde and horrible chemicals to preserve them –meanwhile all that crap is going into your body to a smaller degree, the people actually doing the work to harvest the bananas tried to start a union once and were all murdered and the company just hired new people because they’re desperate for work. Also, bananas themselves are kind of a terrible crop because they eventually deplete the soil of ALL nutrients that make things able to grow there, so eventually the company just rips out all of their crops and moves elsewhere, leaving a dead desolate, unusable area of dirt). I almost cried when he was telling me all about bananas. I don’t know how this would differ with fair trade bananas, but i’m not sure it’s different enough for me to eat bananas.”