Today we got a double tour! Like yesterday, we went to the continental divide, but this time we got to tour a pineapple and a banana plantation. We learned about how each plant grows, some difficulties that the plantations face, and we got to try some delicious food and desserts that included these plants.

All the food today was a nice reminder of how crappy these fruits are in the US (specifically pineapples). The quality and taste doesn’t come close to Costa Rica, and that will be nightmare to come back to. But before I get too heated, I’ll tell you about both tours.

The Banana Plantation

First we visited an organic banana plantation in the Sarapiqui area. Here we learned that the success of bananas and plantains were kind of discovered by accident. For one, everything was about coffee back in the day and it being produced and exported to England.

However, since coffee can’t be harvested year round, the government needed a new activity that the railway workers could work on. This is when they discovered that not only were bananas and plantains suitable work for the railway workers, but they could also be harvested year round. So, these became important products when coffee was stagnant.

Quick Banana & Plantain Fun Facts

1. Bananas don’t grow on trees, it’s actually just one tall plant. In fact it’s one of the tallest plants out there.

2. Bananas used to grow with seeds in them but then humans took these plants to the laboratory and genetically engineered them to be seedless, soft, thick, and sweet.

3. More than 80% of the banana plant is water and all the water is absorbed through the leaves.

4. If you look at a banana plant and a plantain plant, you can’t tell the difference. They look the same. Only when you harvest them, you’ll notice that plantains are longer, they have harder skin and are hard on the inside. So cook them first or you’ll get diarrhea.

5. Bananas and plantain peels in the plantation are used as a fertilizer or for composting. Yay sustainability!

Banana Plantation Problems

Some issues that this plantation faces are raccoons, insects, and diseases. The downside of being 100% organic is that they can’t use herbicides or anything with chemicals. The bananas here are also a mono crop, so a disease will wipe out the whole plantation. To combat this, they add different fungus and bacteria that eats the bad fungus.

For the raccoons, the issue is that they eat at the roots of the plant, which prevents it from absorbing nutrients from the soil. One thing they’ve tried it putting electric cables into some of the holes to try and zap the raccoons.

Lunch & Dessert

The Pineapple Plantation

After the banana plantation tour, we visited a pineapple plantation. This tour honestly made my day because it was full of humor, we got to ride on a tractor through the plantation, and we tasted the best ripe, freshly picked pineapples that you could NEVER have in the US. It was shocking.

This plantation was also organic like the banana plantation and pineapples can also be produced year round. We learned that it’s a main export because of the variety of shipping. Pineapples are shipped ripe with the crown on for aesthetic and so people can plant their own.

Pineapple Plantation Problems

Pineapple plants have a mind of their own and they only care about producing a pineapple before they die. So if they get sick, are under stress, and think they’re going to die, they will self-produce a pineapple. This process is called “Natural Flowering”. This is bad for growing pineapples commercially because this will make pineapples grow when the farmers don’t want them to. There’s no way to fully prevent this process, but the farmers can take microorganisms, liquify them, and spray it over the plants to protect them from bacteria. Pineapples also bruise easily, so it’s important to handle them with care.

Piña Coladas and other Tasty Treats

Out of the Coffee, Banana, and Pineapple Plantations, which one would I work at?

Based on these tours and the coffee plantation tour, I would definitely say that harvesting and exporting pineapples and bananas are a bit easier than coffee. One big difference being that pineapples and bananas can be harvested year round whereas coffee can only be harvested in a 4 month period. Once they’re harvested the workers don’t have to take several layers off like they need to with coffee beans. So a coffee plantation is definitely a no-go.

I think I would pick a pineapple plantation. There’s nothing to lose and I’ll never have to worry about my job since they can be produced year round. I think it would be fun driving a tractor and making sure the pineapples are nice and happy (no natural flowering). And, if natural flowering occurs, no biggie just more delicious ripe pineapple to take home.

Pura Vida!