Usually if you are closer to the Bay, the harder it is for bananas to bloom. The cooler year round area prevents the blooming and often the banana chokes out. Although bananas do not suffer frost damages, there is simply no bloom in most cases, this is the major complaint of banana growers aroung the vicinity of the cooler areas in the SF Bay. The farther you are from the influence of the sea temperature, the better are your chances. If you live more inland, or farther away like San Jose, Gilroy, south facing hilly portions of Fremont, Antioch, you will have more consistent fruit production. The only proven one that has consistently produced even in the cooler Bay Area is the California Gold. You may have good microclimate that is warmer and perhaps other bananas would be bear fruits. Here are the other bets aside from California Gold: Raja Puri, Misi Luki, Ice Cream, Brazilian (dwarf and regular), Namwah (dwarf, regular and pearl), Orinoco (dwarf and regular), Goldfinger, Mysore, Rhinohorn. These are the varieties that you would look for. There are more, but they would require really warm soil temperature to bloom.

Try Feasting Free on Wild Edibles by Bradford Angier You should check Peters guides for Edibles & Poisonous plants. The first step in wild edibles is knowing what is poisonous raw & what can be cooked & eaten safely. Example: Nightshade plants, leaves & stems are poisonous. Tomatoes,white potatoes,sweet & hot peppers,egg plants are all in the Nightshade family. As many of you know these plant fruits are safe to eat, well some of the hot peppers are not "safe", but not poisonous.

knittlin, I'll stay away from the pretty orange/red Yaupon berries. When I was a kid we had a similar kind of tree near our house and I stood there and ate several berries. After proudly reporting my delicious discovery to my mother, her eyes got very big and panic set in. Long story short, I ended up getting my stomach pumped. So since then my appetite for pretty wild berries has diminished somewhat. Your Library project sounds brilliant! And I would imagine that learning about what's under foot, so to speak, and in one's own yard (native edibles/medicinals) would be something that would peak people's curiosity and perhaps even entice some old timers to share their remedies and recipes with the younger generation! I was thinking about a 'native plants' garden myself with things like Purslane, Lambsquarters, etc. But I'll have to learn more about growing, harvesting and cooking them first. This website discusses the benefits of eating Lambsquarters: http://www.veggiegardeningtips.com/surprising-lambs-quarters/ I believe Scooter Cheatham IS based in Austin. And there used to be a "library/store/learning center" sort of place for herbs and edible native plants out east of Austin just off the OLD airport road (Manor) about a mile past the airport entrance (on the left), but not quite as far as 183. Can't recall its name and don't know if it's still there. It could be connected to Cheatham's project. Also was exploring Cheatham's Usefull Wild Plants site that I linked to above and discovered that they apparently do still teach annual classes AND then have a banquet using the plants they've discovered. I'll bet they have some amazing recipes! http://www.usefulwildplants.org/weedfeed.htm Some of their archived newsletters look intriguing such as the first one that discusses what kind of meals were eaten by the natives and pioneers. http://www.usefulwildplants.org/newsletter.htm I did a google on Edible and Useful Plants of Texas and the Southwest, By Delena Tull and discovered it's available to read online! Or at least a lengthy preview: http://books.google.com/books?id=pnnHgcasN-cC&pg=RA1-PA140&lpg=RA1-PA140&dq=recipes,+purslane+Portulaca+oleracea&source=bl&ots=Vm-SpPMdSr&sig=6fvE7DpZ-GJiYn8AkYwCsS4FVmE&hl=en&ei=Wim6SaLdBIa-Mpq5jbcI&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPP1,M1 Can You Answer These Questions? 1) What do lipstick, World War I campaign tents, and shoe polish have in common? 2) The wood of this tree is one of the finest anywhere in the world for making bows and was prized by Native Americans for this. It is amazingly durable and decay-resistant. Paving blocks (as paved the downtown streets of old Fort Worth) made of it can last 50 years or more. One name refers to its use for bows, another to the color of the wood and the Indians who used it for bows. What are they? 3) This juicy plant thrives in the heat of summer and grows out of the cracks in city sidewalks. It is sold in Mexican and Asian markets as a vegetable. What is it? 4) You just noticed that the mustang grapes you've been picking are entwined with poison ivy. You've never broken out before so you keep picking. But should you be concerned this time? 5) Even though this plant has delicious leaves with more Vitamin A than spinach or broccoli, to most people it's a no-good weed to be mercilessly hoed out of the garden. The seeds of one of its relatives were a staple food of the Aztecs. What is it? 6) The Texas shrub called agarita (Berberis trifoliolata) produces delicious red fruits in late spring. Its yellow roots helped equip World War II paratroopers. How? 7) One U.S. president was also a great plantsman. Who said "The greatest service which can be given any country is to add a useful plant to its culture?" 8) You are curious about the plants in your own backyard and want to know more about them. What can you do? Here is a link that might be useful: ANSWERS

@HU-815804858, like most members of the poppy family, Papaveracea, California poppies develop a fleshy tap root that resembles that of a carrot. It is actually edible, once used by indigenous peoples for both food and medicinal purposes.