I'm originally from Vietnam (south) where bananas are abundant. I have 2 big clumps of banana here that I grow. To my knowledge, I always cut the blossom when I see I have enough banana bunches on the tree. Doing so will fatten up your bananas because the nutrition and energy will go into bananas only instead of to the blossom if you keep the blossom on the tree. Plus the blossom will only give you a certain amount of bunches then the rest of the blossom is just hanging down with no fruits on it. And yes I eat the blossoms. Several ways of using the blossom. I shred it and use as salad, or cut up in chunks and cook with coconut milk with lime juice and lemon grass as a Thai soup or I just set the whole blossom on the cutting board a smash it then cut it vertically and squeeze some lime juice then dip with a little soy sauce. There are more ways of using the blossom and I love each and every way. But I have to tell you that the taste is a little bitter so it's not easy for first timers. If you are going to prepare the blossom, make sure after cutting it you need to soak it in water with a little lemon or lime juice or white vinegar, this prevent it from turning black.

Shirley, glad you enjoyed it. Which one of these two recipes did you try? Spinach con Queso From the Jalapeno Cafe This is Chili con Queso with a difference. For more heat, subsitute Pepper Jack for the Monterey Jack Cheese. The secret to making Chili con Quesco is to keep the heat low when melting the cheese. The first time I ever made the dish, I had my heat too high and I had a stringy mess. 1 10 oz. bunch fresh spinach or 1 10 ounce package plain frozen spinach, cooked and finely chopped with all the liquid pressed out 1 tablespoon oil 3 tablespoons finely minced onion 1 tablespoon flour 1 4 oz. can chopped green chilies, drained 1/2 cup whipping cream 3 oz package cream cheese, room temperature, cubed 8 ounces (2 cups)Monterey Jack or Pepper Jack cheese, grated. Tortilla chips for dipping In a heavy medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring until limp and clear, 3 to 4 minutes. Add flour and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add spinach and green chilies. Cook and stir until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add cream and cook until mixture begins to boil, about 1 minute. REDUCE HEAT to low and gradually add cream cheese, stirring until cheese is melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add the Monterey Jack cheese, stirring until melted. Do not allow mixture to boil or cheese will separate. Serve at once with tortilla chips for dipping. Server 4 to 6 Note: To keep mixture warm or to reheat, place onver a pan of hot, but not boiling water. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- RE: RECIPE: Looking for Spinach con` Queso Recipe clip this post email this post what is this? see most clipped and recent clippings Posted by roselin32 (My Page) on Tue, May 30, 06 at 11:48 Or this one: Spinach Con Queso 4 ounces half and half 4 ounces water or chicken stock 4 ounces grated parmesan cheese 1 pound Velveeta cheese 1 10 ounce pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, and water squeezed out cayenne to taste 8 ounces sour cream juice of 1 lemon Mix all ingredients in stock pot and melt together over low to medium heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Serve with tortilla chips.

Boyohboy, don't I agree on the American Processed Food thing, read that ingredient list and some of it can't even be pronounced and probably shouldn't be consumed! I have, however, eaten horse. Back in 1973, there was a PBB poisoning of cattle in Michigan. Several thousand pounds of fire retardant was accidentally added to livestock food. After a lot of cover ups, finger pointing and denial, it was determined that the feed was contaminated. The government said there were only two disposal sites, but later investigation turned up many more throughout the state. All health departments in the state were contacted and only two responded. In the burial pits; 33,000 cattle, 1.5 million chickens 1,470 sheep, 5,920 hogs, 865 tons of feed, 17,900 pounds of cheese, 2,630 pounds of butter, 34,000 pounds of dry milk and 5 million eggs were buried.These events were portrayed in the 1981 in the documentary "Cattlegate" by Jeff Jackson, the true-fiction film Bitter Harvest starring Ron Howard, and in the book "The Poisoning of Michigan" by Joyce Egginton. At first the deaths of the animals were blamed on the farmer's lack of care or skill. Yeah. After a year, the animals were culled. Most of Michigan still has PBB in their system and the USDA says that most of Michigan's farms are so contaminated that every product produced is contaminated with some level of PBB. Anyway, as farmers were bulldozing their livestock and livelihoods into pits, everyone was afraid to eat beef. Horse meat became very common. We were lucky, because we raised out own livestock feed and purchased none of the contaminated stuff. I remember some guy from Chicago stopping at the farm and telling Dad he'd give him 17 cents a pound for the whole herd. Dad told him that for 17 cents a pound he'd eat every damned one of them himself. So, anyway, nearly everyone in Michigan during that time has eaten horse meat. Annie

I find generic, and especially Walmart generic, to be hit or miss. If I buy name brand, it is always the same unless they change the formula. Walmart is bad about changing the supplier of their brand at any time. I may like one I buy, but if they can save a half penny, they will swap suppliers. So the cream cheese or catsup, or beans you buy one time will not be the same the next. They also seem to get the "seconds" or it will slightly thinner than the name brand. I have had fairly good luck with Publix brands, but even then, some I haven't liked. Fortunately, I can spend the little extra so far to get the constant taste I like. I buy the same brand each time for everything I buy. (And I found out this spring why, when I had to get different paper towels and toilet paper!)