My daughters explain how to preserve your bananas and more in the video above.
Betsy: Welcome to the 2nd video in our "Fruit in Our Yard" series.
By the way, our yard is in the charming beach town of Puerto Armuelles, Panama.
We are producing these videos in alphabetic order.
Join us as my daughters show you the Bananas In Our Yard.
[I'm Betsy from Living in Panama, the place for information and advice on being an expat in Panama. Interested? Click subscribe, and hit the bell. So you don't miss a video.]
Skylar: These are the bananas in our yard. They're a little past their prime on the tree.
We've been picking them slowly.
Normally, if you wanted to preserve the entire bunch and ripen them at your leisure, you would chop it here and hang it from a sort of a rafter or any high place you have. Then put a bag around it to protect it from the birds that might want to get at it before you.
Blaise: And what you can also do is, you can leave actually them on the tree and get some mesh bags to cover it.
And as you can see, some ripen at different times.
These are very small, just starting. These are green and these towards the top get more sun and are ripe. Like here, they are ready on this side.
Skylar: Yes. These here have been all picked and some of them have been eaten by birds.
Blaise: Like these and that.
Skylar: This is what happens when you don't preserve the bunch. So if you wanted to preserve it, as we said, you put a mesh bag around, either on the tree, or take it off and hang it somewhere for it to ripen.
[Note: you can use plastic or any other opaque bag to cover ripening bananas in order to keep birds from eating them.]
They usually ripen better off the tree actually.
Blaise: And we can show you one is still green. It has not been covered, over in our front yard.
Skylar: Okay, so this is across the yard from the earlier bananas that we showed you. But these are not quite ready to be picked or even for the birds to want them.
It's quite a beautiful bunch, honestly.
Blaise: As you can see, up there, it is starting to ripen a little bit on the higher branches.
Betsy: Where? Oh, yeah.
Blaise: You can see a little yellow. And so that is normally the time you should probably start bagging.
Actually, if you remove some of the leaves above it, it can help it as well.
Betsy: Help it what?
Skylar: Ripen more quickly of course.
Blaise: And grow.
Skylar: Yeah.
Blaise: And in the next video we'll probably be showing you how to use bananas and plantains in dishes.
Skylar: Yes, how to cook your bananas or plantains - for beginners.
Skylar & Blaise: Bye. Thank you for watching. Subscribe. And like. And share with anyone who might be interested. And click the notification bell. Have fun.
Betsy: Please click the link below for more information about Puerto Armuelles. Thanks for watching.
Our next "Fruit In Our Yard" video will feature the cashew tree.
Updated May 5, 2018
Its happening April 27-29, 2018
Sadly, our team Chiriqui Occidental (of Puerto Armuelles) didn't make into the final series, but Chiriqui (of David) did.
Chiriqui is battling it out with Bocas Del Toro. The team who wins 4 out of 7 games is crowned champion.
After 4 games it was 2 and 2! But in the end, Chiriqui lost the championship to Bocas del Toro.
Chiriqui really wants to win this championship. They were the champions in 2016.
Then Colon beat Chiriqui to win last year's championship. But I must say Colon deserved the win. It was the first time in 54 years that Colon won the championship.
Regardless, Chiriqui wanted the title of champion back in 2018.
Chiricanos (people from Chiriqui) are very proud of their province. And they have many reasons to be proud. One being baseball.
Chiricanos are very very good at baseball. You won't make any friends rooting for a rival team.
Carlos Ruiz - Major Leaguer
In fact, one of David's prodigal sons, Carlos Ruiz, played in these 75th Championship games. Ruiz is a catcher in US Major League Baseball. He started with the Phillies, then went to play for the Dodgers, then the Mariners, and is now a free agent.
Ruiz is the only player in the history of the National League to catch four no-hitters, and 1 of only 2 catchers in Major League Baseball, the other being Jason Varitek. (source: Wikipedia).
Baseball in Panama has two leagues, Juvenile League and the Panamanian Major League (AKA Panama Baseball League).
Each of Panama's 10 provinces has its own Juvenile and Major League baseball teams. However, Chiriqui is so good at baseball it can field 2 teams: Chiriqui Occidental (Puerto Armuelles) and Chiriqui Oeste (David).
Not even the Panama province has 2 baseball teams and it is hands down the most populous province in the country. (FYI- The province of Panama's team is called Panama Metro.)
In the Major League, the Panama Metro team wins many championships, Herrera is often a contender, and Chirqui continues to hold its own.
The 11 teams are: Bocas de Toro, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Occidente, Colon, Cocle, Darién, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama Metro, Panama West, and Veraguas.
Well, actually, 22 teams if you count both the Juvenile and Major league teams. And they both should be counted. Panama takes its juvenile league very seriously.
TIP: One quick way to start a friendship with a local Chiricano is to ask about their baseball team.
As it turns out, baseball was not introduced to Panama by the Americans who came to build the canal. It started well before then. Baseball has been played in Panama as far back as 1883 when Panama was still a province of Colombia.
On Jan. 9, 1883, Panama’s Daily Star and Herald described a baseball game played in Chiriqui Plaza 2 days before. It was between a team from Chiriqui Province and members of the Panama Cricket and Baseball Club. (See Chiricanos have had a very long love affair with baseball). The Cricket and Baseball Club won. That team was mostly made up of West Indian workers brought in during the failed French-managed canal construction.
However, Panama's baseball history may go back even further. Back to a time before Amerca had even standardized rules for baseball. In his book, Historia del Béisbol Panameño, the Panamanian historian Ramon G. Pérez Medina writes that the 1st baseball game was played in Panama in the mid-1850s. One team was made up of American traders and the other team was men affiliated with the Panama Railroad Company.
In 1945, the Panamanian Major League was created. As I mentioned, the league has 11 teams: Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Chiriqui Occidente, Colon, Cocle, Darién, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama Metro, Panama West, and Veraguas
The first Panamanian to join an American Major League Baseball team was pitcher Humberto Robinson, who debuted with the Milwaukee Braves on April 20, 1955. Including the 4 major leaguers who were born in the Canal Zone, Panama has sent more than 50 players to the U.S. majors. That total includes recent players: Ruben Tejada, Christian Betancourt, Randall Delgado, and Carlos Ruiz.
Find out about the 10 Best Panamanian Players in MLB History, here.
The Kenny Serracin Stadium in David, Panama is brand new.
It had its first game on March 23, 2018. And Chiriqui won!
(David is the capital of the Chiriqui Province)
Chiriqui was playing against one of their top rivals Herrera. Huge celebrations ensued!
The stadium has seats for 8500 fans. The old stadium only accommodated 2000 people.
It is all tricked out with lights and modern boxes. It was built to comply with the requirements of a Major League stadium in the States.
Where is it?
It is easy to find. It is pretty big.
It is by the intersection of the Interamericana and the overpass of the new road to Boquete. Another way to think about it, is that it is close to the Super Baru, the supermarket. Or better yet, punch the address into WAZE.
The Address
Calle P Norte (e / Av. Obaldía and Vía Belisario Porras)
David ,Chiriquí
About Kenny Serracin - the Man
Kenny Serracin is from Puerto Armuelles! (which is where we live in Panama). That is where he learned to play baseball. He also worked picking bananas in the banana plantations near Puerto Armuelles. Mr. Serracin later moved to David, where taught PE at a school in Doleguita. He then worked as the administrator and sports director of the original baseball stadium.
All the while he continued to play baseball. He was playing for Chiriqui when it won its first championship in 1944.
He was a man who worked for the love of the game.
In the 1970s, after he stopped playing ball, Mr. Serracin worked with the Lions Club to form little leagues teams and he helped to reorganize baseball throughout the province.
Wherever you go, there will will be alot of smiles, music, dancing, and drinking.
In the bigger celebrations you will find:
When is Carnival? Carnival is from Feb 10 - Feb 13th. Feb 13th is also called Fat Tuesday and is the biggest day of the celebrations. The next day, Feb 14th, is Ash Wednesday and the start of Lent. (Lent is a period of fasting and devotion leading up to Easter per the Catholic Church.) This year the start of Lent is also Valentines day.
Las Tablas hosts the most extravagant carnival celebration in the country.
The parade they put on is given alot of spice because of the rivalry between two streets, Calle Arriba and Calle Abajo. Each street vies to put on a more grandiose show. Each street also has it’s own carnival queen, each one try to out shine the other.
The Las Tablas carnival is featured in the 2017 movie, Donaire y Esplendor, by Arturo Montenegro.
Santo Domingo is a little town about 5 minutes from Las Tablas. They have a good parade featuring traditional dress and dance. The parade is in the late afternoon, on Tuesday.
Most people leave Panama City for Carnival.
Read this post, which includes critical info about travel to and from Panama City during Carnival.
If you stay in Panama City, the places to go are the Cinta Costera and Avenida Balboa. A procession of floats, dancers and revelers create the city’s biggest street party of the year.
You can find plenty of food and drink at the numerous stalls along the way. There’s live music, face painting for the kids and a whole lot of dancing. (Remember, you will get wet. So don't wear anything you want to keep dry)
Arrive early in the afternoon if you want any hope of being near the parade procession. The parade gets into full swing alittle after sunset.
I'm told that the Diablico Sucios in Bocas carry real whips that they use on anyone they determine are "misbehaving. Most of the festivities occur on the main street of Bocas town on Isla Colon.
Penonome puts on a more family-friendly carnival celebration. They also have a very unique feature. Their Carnival parade is on the water. The floats, literally float.
Chitre's carnival celebrations are second only to the famed celebrations of Las Tablas. They feature the typical parades, folkloric dancing, and water fights.
We have been in Chitre for carnival. We enjoyed it. We stayed at a hotel right on the square. The hotel's balcony was an excellent place to experience the carnival, esp. once we were ready to retire from the street experience.
Pedasi, is a small town near the beach in the Los Santos province of Panama. It is not far from Chitre. It has an even more mellow carnival experienced than Penonome. The festivities are mostly in the central square. Bring a chair and a cooler and relax and enjoy the parade, music, and crowd.
For some reason, this village's carnival celebration is very popular with Panamanians from all over the country. So much so that the village lives mainly off the revenue that is generated during carnival.
It is laid-back celebration with a “moving carnival” that has people dancing with the band as it moves from house to house. It also has the usual parade and the competition for the title of the beauty queen. It is about a 50 minute bus ride from Chitre.
The Chiriqui Province is not a place to go for an exceptional carnival experience. I live in Chiriqui, so I feel I must mention it.
In Puerto Armuelles, where I live, it is mostly a family affair. Many locals tend to make a weekend of it by going out to the beach and bars out on Punta Burica. The bars will have more live music and will generally be livelier and more crowded. The waterfront bar Tisa Mar, in particular, usually has live music and charges admission.
Dolega, David, and Las Lajas, all in Chiriqui, have carnival celebrations. David has the biggest one of the three, which isn't saying much.
Until 2 years ago, David hadn’t celebrated Carnival for 16 years. Now they do celebrate Carnival, but I think it is still only during daylight hours.
Last year, I wrote a more detailed post all about Carnival.
In Boquete, where there is such a disparity of wealth, you can feel a bit privileged by attending.
To help ameliorate that privilege guilt, part of the proceeds go to help a really excellent music program for kids. One of the days, the kids come and put on a show.
With or without, feeling privileged, I really enjoy myself there. I delight in dancing to live Blues music.
If you will be in the Chiriqui Province in late February, you should consider attending.
To find out more about the Boquete Jazz and Blues Festival, click here.
Their website is greatly improved. It has a lot of easily accessible information about the events and the line ups.
The Festival runs from Feb. 22nd - Feb. 25th, 2018
This year I will have to miss the first 2 days of it.
When I said yes to speak at Live & Invest Panama conference, I didn't realize it overlapped with the Boquete event.
But I can make it to both.
By the way, if you are still in the information gathering stage about Panama, you may want to check out the Live & Invest Panama (LIOS) conference.
I would never have thought of going to such an event, but now that I have attended one, I understand its value. I wrote about the 2018 LIOS Panama event (Feb 21 - 23rd) here.
Maybe I will see you at both events.
We have written about 2 of the Boquete music festivals we have attended.
You may enjoy checking them out as well.
The location is now in a more central spot.
It will be at the downtown waterfront park.
The park is located between the bus station and the pier.
The market no longer occurs on the 1st Saturday of the month.
Now it is coordinated with the typical twice monthly payday (on the 15th and 30th).
There will be 2 markets in December
Most everyone seems to agree that the 8am start time is just too damn early.
Now the Market will be held from 10am - 2pm.
Most likely, the dates and time will continue to be tweaked. So check back toward the end of December.
The market will continue to solicit donations for Los Animales of Puerto Armuelles.
There will be a donation can at each vendor's table.
Please give generously.
Learn more about Los Animales of Puerto Armuelles.
Buy and/or sell items at the market.
You can buy or sell plants, fruit, handicrafts, used and new items, and much more.
If you are selling, don't forget to bring your own table.
Watch a video of the 1st Puerto Armuelles Market here.
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Video created by cienxcientoportenos.com. I simply added the English voiceover.
The Parade: On the streets of downtown Puerto ArmuellesParade in Downtown Puerto.
Folk Dances: in Municipal Gym in Downtown Puerto Armuelles.
The Gym is across the street from the dollar store.
There will be people from Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Mexico & more performing their folk dances.
The parade starts at 11am. Followed by the dances.
For more information on Puerto Armuelles
Puerto Armuelles, land of hardworking men and women.
We, the people of Baru, are proud to invite you to our first cultural exposition.
This will take place on the 27th of November at 11AM.
There will be a folk parade [through the streets of Puerto Armuelles].
This will be followed by folk dance performances in the municipal gymnasium in downtown Puerto Armuelles.
This first ever international culture/folklore expo will feature performers from all over Central America.
However, a supplemental electric motor offers an extra boost for getting up to cruising speed after stopping at red lights, or providing horse power for getting up steep hills. (Seattle is a famously “steep” city.)
Watching our neighbor Henry’s business literally explode, over the past couple of years has been exciting. In addition to converting standard bikes to electrical assistance, Henry also sells a line of top quality factory built ebikes.
When we’re in Seattle, I sometimes stop by his shop to chat and to check out the latest ebike technology. The equipment is evolving fast in this new/old eco-friendly form of transportation.
So far, I have been reluctant to consider an electric bike myself.
I still see myself as a relatively “young” 56 year old. At some level, I guess we are all reluctant to admit that we’re getting old. (Luckily I have children who aren't reluctant to say, “Dad, admit it, you’re old”.)
Aside from the fact that I love to ride my human powered street bike, I worry that if I start to accept electrical assistance on my bicycle, would I soon find myself requiring assistance to do everything?
I already have an electric toothbrush. Would riding an ebike be a slippery slope to riding around everywhere. Would an electric powered wheelchair then be in my near future? Would it be a short cut to that final ebike commute?
Recently, however, I have begun to reconsider using an electric bike.
There are plenty of errands that I don’t do on my regular bike, because I am in too much of a hurry, or I have to carry too much, or I have already gotten a lot of exercise that day. Or more often, I just don’t want to get all sweaty. (See appendix for a complete list of my excuses.)
Maybe an electrically assisted bike would reduce the number of car trips that I take. Perhaps owning an electric bike would reduce the number of our car trips, and thus our environmental impact.
Maybe we would end up riding our "regular" bikes more, rather than less, and stay in better shape. Perhaps we would keep the bike riding “habit” alive, by having a way to ride, even when we don’t really feel like bike riding.
Another advantage of biking more (ebike or regular), is that when I do bike I feel more connected with the community. Definitely more than when I am hidden behind the tinted windows of my car.
In Puerto Armuelles, I notice that I ride my bike much more in the rainy season than I do in the dry season.
The 10 degree cooler temperature, plus the overcast skies makes the rainy season perfect for cycling.
I find I am more reluctant to hop on my bike in the hot dry season. I definitely don’t do it as much.
For instance, our family always seems to forget to buy some critical item at the grocery store. Which then requires someone shlep back downtown to Romero’s. And it is usually I who does that trip.
In the hot season, I usually make that 2nd trip to Romero by car.
There are other trip I could take by ebike too. As a home builder, I find myself taking frequent runs to the hardware store for small miscellaneous fasteners, adhesives, wire, blades, etc… for the construction crew.
Sometimes I take these trips by bike. If I really crank, I can probably get from our house in Las Palmas, to Casa Cheong (about 3/4 a mile, slightly downhill) in under 2 minutes. However, by the time I arrive back home, I am usually pretty sweaty.
I love to ride fast, and I love to exercise. But, sometimes I just don’t feel like getting all “pitted out”.
Observing some of the other expat in Puerto Armuelles, I notice that not too many are bike riders. There are a few, but not many.
I imagine, like me they also don't want to get over-tired or too sweaty.
Puerto Armuelles is laid out along the ocean, so generally, it is flat as a pancake. Our house in Las Palmas is up a slight hill, perhaps 10 or 12 feet above downtown.
This is an ideal topography for even a very modestly powered ebike.
Perhaps expats in Puerto Armuelles (and the tropics in general) is the ideal market for electric bikes.
The electric bike just might bring a whole new level of fun and convenience to retirement life in Puerto.
In my own case, as I get older, I anticipate that I will still enjoy feeling the breeze in my (thinning) hair. I will still enjoy the freedom and the exercise of riding a bike.
However, I can foresee a time, not too distant, when I will happily opt for the ease of an electric bike. I think that I will ride more often, if I know that I don’t have to pedal the whole time.
With an electric bike, I’ll be able to exercise, without overdoing it.
I am going to be giving electric bikes a test ride in the near future. I will report my findings.
However, in the meantime, there is lots of information available about ebikes online. You can convert a bike you already own, or buy a new or used electric bike. (Maybe we should add it to our post about "Packing for your move to Panama".)
If you would like to check out our friend Henry’s shop, visit BikeSwift.com.
If you have any information to share with our readers about electric bikes, or other alternative transportation methods, please let us know.
If you are interested in living green, I wrote about using taxis in Panama - a green and affordable alternative.
Thanks!
Reyn
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I bought my property long before I retired and moved here, but I made frequent trips to “window shop”, as they say.
I selected the delightful beach community of Puerto Armuelles as my retirement haven. I have never looked back.
I retired from my real job to my hobbies – and there are many. I am well suited to entertaining myself. And that is fortunate as Puerto Armuelles is almost completely void of entertainment.
I do not consider eating out a pleasant pastime. There are several excellent restaurants in our community, but since cooking is one of my hobbies, I prefer to prepare my own.
There are no movie theaters (rely on your DVD collection or Netflix) and the closest “mall shopping” is a 30 to 40 minute drive from Puerto Armuelles. Although, with our new 4-lane road the drive is much more pleasant (it used to be only 2-lanes).
There are movie theaters in David, but mostly in Spanish and reportedly the sound system is awful. I would not know as I do not care to drive 1 ½ hours to watch a movie when I can sit in the comfort of my home with Netflix!
Panama cable television is primarily in Spanish with a few English channels – I tried it for a while, but just did not derive enough benefit. Reruns of programs that I had no interest in the first time around!
Cell phones are the primary means of communication. Almost the entire country relies on Whatsapp. Whatsapp is a free application that allows people to talk and text, send photos or videos, etc.
Best of all if you are outside the country and have your phone, your WhatsApp will continue to work as it does in Panama. At least it does in Canada, the United States and Colombia – that I can attest to. I have no reason to doubt that it works the same elsewhere.
Panama is not a country of seasons – it is always hot! While it does cool off pretty quickly at night – if you are outside a major city – because there is little concrete – including paved roads, it will always be warm during the day.
In the mountains it is cooler, but it is also rainier.
The beaches are delightful here in Puerto Armuelles. And there is always some shell collecting to be done.
The tide drop is huge and I generally take advantage of this to walk on the firmer wet sand for exercise. Slogging through dry sand is its own special type of intense workout.
Find out what is and isn’t available to you in Panama.
Not everything you are accustomed to finding easily in your “home” location is readily available in Panama.
If you have items and/or services (reliable high speed internet springs to mind) you “cannot live without” then you may possibly want to reconsider your decision to move here, learn to live without some of those luxuries, or adapt to what is available here.
Fruits and vegetables are readily available from truck vendors in our town. Many of them drive through the neighborhoods, which I find extremely convenient!
Fish
There is a fish market is in town. But again, there are also neighborhood vendors. The fish you buy was generally caught last night. The boats go out at night and return in the mornings.
Do not let them convince you that a rooster fish is good to eat – it is not. I am not sure I would even want to make a soup with it!
Red fish, tilapia, shrimp in season, lobster in season, tuna, mackerel are some of the more readily available varieties.
Small stores
The small grocery stores, called tiendas, are generally well stocked, albeit in the small size. They are a handy source for staples – chicken, rice, sugar, milk, onions, carrots, green peppers, etc. None of the tiendas near my house sell beer, but they may in other areas.
Goods from USA
PriceSmart (like Costco), and supermarkets such as El Rey/Romeros, Super 99, Extra (I am told), Dorado (I am told) and several other stores seem to be adding more and more U. S. items to their shelves.
That being said, you must remember that just because you find it one day does not mean you will find it again at a later date. Sometimes it is really hit or miss. If you find it, buy it is a good rule of thumb.
If internet is important to you, be sure there is availability in the area you are considering.
Not much has changed in the last several years in the way of improved service, if you are considering living outside a major city. While there have been some improvements, a lot must still be done to improve the standard of Internet service in the outlying areas of Panama.
The dogs roam freely here as many are compelled to forage for their food.
The dogs are sometimes a noise issue. Learn to sleep with ear plugs or put a pillow over your head!
Panamanians like their music loud!
There is a law in our town and you can call the police who may or may not come to your aide. The police are required to take down the name, address and identification number of the person in violation and report that to the local Corregiduria for further action. Eventually, the neighborhood will be quieter, but it does take some effort. I just learned to basically tune it out.
Panamanians love to celebrate their independence from both Spain and Colombia (both events occur in November). The school bands start practicing well in advance!
I love the enthusiasm and the parades. It reminds me of the 1950s when people weren’t so consumed with their lives and had time for family activities and major celebrations.
Panamanians typically view Gringos as ATMs. They think that all Gringos are rich.
I have been told that the preachers in some churches have told their congregations, if a Gringo has it and you want it, just take it. I cannot personally vouch for that, because my Spanish is not that developed and I do not attend the “local” (read that, neighborhood) churches.
Panamanians also have little regard for borrowed property. If you loan something, you will have to ask for it back. And it will not always come back in the same condition. There will be no offer of repair, replace or reimbursement.
/panama/frustration-employees-appointments-electricity-internet/Best rule of thumb – if you don’t want to be without it, don’t lend it.
We welcome your contributions. We are looking for points of view and experiences that would be beneficial to our readers. We can name you as the author or give you some anonymity by using the "guest contributor" byline. There will be mild editing of all contributions to help readability.
Please let me know if you would like to write something - or do a video - on a topic that would benefit other readers of this site. Thank you.
You may also want to check out a post I wrote recently about other not-great-parts of life in Panama.
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