You'll never get Ice Cream to fruit, of course, in Zone 6, but it's theoretically possible for the mat to survive. Problem in Z6 is that your growing season is so short, the bananas won't be able to grow enough to form a solid mat before frost...and it's the size/thickness of the mat that contributes to cold hardiness. You could improve your chances by mulching heavily, and possibly even throwing a heating cable over the spot to keep the ground from freezing on exceptionally cold nights. Even here in Z8a, getting a trunk to overwinter and continue growing/blooming in the spring is a crap shoot. Some made it this year, but the mat is mostly sending out pups again. I'm doubtful I'll get a bloom by July 1st -- which is about the latest to get ripe fruit before frost. -Bruce

My entire garden (vegetable garden) is over the leach field. The only thing that I've noticed is that you don't have to water as much in the summer. If your septic tank is working properly, it shouldn't be an issue at all. My Mom's garden was there, too, the whole time I was growing up. It didn't hurt us any! I do plant some veggies that have LONG roots, like okra, no problems. I think that the leach field would only be beneficial to your bananas, also.

You can also do it the really old fashioned way -- the same method that has long been used to make sorbet. Just pour the mixture into a baking dish, and set that into your freezer. Also, you will need a heavy glass or metal bowl, an electric hand mixer, and a bowl of ice big enough for the first bowl to sit in. Put the heavy glass or metal bowl and the beater attachments for the hand mixer into the freezer at the same time as the ice cream mix to chill them. When its almost but not quite fully frozen, use a fork to break it up into small lumps about the size of a nickle or a little less. Then put it back into the freezer about 10 minutes to set up a bit again. Now, working as quickly as possible, take the pre-chilled heavy bowl out of the freezer,and set it in a bath of ice cubes in the 2nd larger bowl. Quickly transfer the ice cream mixture into the chilled bowl, and beat it as much as possible with the electric mixer ONLY until the lumps are broken up, and it begins to whip up a bit. Then, back into the freezer for another 15 to 30 minutes, until its not at all "melty" but still a little soft. Repeat the beating/whipping process several times -- the idea is to whip as much air into it to make it creamy and fluffy as possible, without melting it too much at each whipping. The chilled bowl, the ice bath, and the chilled beaters help, but beware that the very act of beating it creates friction between the bowl and beaters, which makes heat, so this process is a balancing act between beating in air and melting the ice cream. Done right, which isn't at all hard to do with just a little practice, this method does work, albeit it will never be quite as fluffy as commercial ice creams you are used to, which not only incorporate a large volume of air into the mix using specialized equipment, but which also generally use gums and stabilizers which prevents the product from melting and turning liquid as fast as a pure, cream and milk only product will. Good luck.

I went to the house and looked at mine. It's the 1600. I don't know what it means, but it's at least 15 years old. The sucker is heavy and large, but it does a good job churning and freezing ice cream. If it didn't I wouldn't keep it around as it's hard to store. That reminds me of something to be aware of. Mine says on the machine and on the instruction booklet that it must never be carried or stored on its side or back. It must always be horizontal. If yours came from a thrift store, it may have handled improperly. Like I mentioned, my bowl is not removable. The best way to clean it when you've made ice cream is to put a bit of warmish water in and let it sit for 10 mins or so. Then wipe out the water and the gunk. Mine came with a very stiff hard plastic spatula with a short handle for scooping out the cold ice cream. Assuming yours didn't come with one, go buy one. The ice cream is very stiff, especially on the bottom. A spatula with a softer head or handle won't be able to scoop well enough. The other trick is how to get the machine ready. My instructions say to turn the freezer on for 10 minutes before you put your base in to churn. Apparently it needs that much time to thoroughly chill. I never use the timer as a way to determine when the ice cream is done. I've found that the churning time in ice cream recipes isn't always accurate for this machine. Just watch and listen. You'll know when it's done. Your DH got a deal, btw, if it works. My MIL kept saying that her Dad paid several hundred dollars for the one I have. Hope that helped. Let me know if you have any questions! Enjoy your yummy ice cream!