“The shed is burning! The shed is burning!” shouted Cosmos Daka, Chris’s Zambian banana manager, over the radio just as we were finishing breakfast a few days before Christmas.
When Chris took off with his brother, Simon, to fight the fire destroying the banana pack shed, I walked out to the end of our horizon pool to see a black pall growing ever larger above the trees to the right of our house. It was an angry conflagration — given succour by piles of unused cardboard boxes and wheat straw insulation in a flimsy ceiling — that was probably set off by a suicidal rat chewing an electrical wire.
Crates upon crates of bananas were ripening in the cold rooms below the fire, but thanks to Chris and his team, many of them were saved. All of the top floor and two out of seven cold rooms were destroyed by the collapsing roof and walls.
They fought the fire for nearly a day but it fought back and kept burning, even after a ferocious rainstorm moved in late afternoon to try and douse it. When a lightning strike from that same storm later blew up the farm’s electrics, exploding plug sockets and turning the house ice-blue before pitching us into darkness, it felt like the Elements were daring each other in a game of Chicken.
No one was hurt, thank heavens, and I’m proud to say that after the fire died and the remaining cold rooms were cleaned up, with their air conditioners replaced, the farm’s banana ripening schedule was back on track.
While the roof and a couple of walls are still being replaced with concrete bricks made here on the farm, Cosmos Daka and his team continue “making a plan” with the trailer-loads of bananas arriving at the pack shed each morning to be ripened, later to be sold at the market in Livingstone.
Not all the bananas end up at the market. Overruns are sometimes given to the local community schools; some are sold at farm-grade to the workers and the villagers on the river. Bunches are also sent up here to the house.
One of the first summer treats Chris introduced to me after I arrived on the farm nearly two years ago was his version of banana soft serve ice cream. I love banana desserts, and mashed bananas with cream and dark brown sugar was my favorite “nursery food,” hands down.
The base of Chris’s ice cream is banana. On its own, without any accoutrements, the texture is just like the ice cream you get from a soft serve machine. How does he do this? By freezing ripened bananas, chopping them into inch-size pieces, and then throwing them into the blender. If they are too hard to blend, Chris adds a little mabisi, the local fermented sour milk that is an excellent probiotic. If he feels like jazzing it up, he’ll add tahini, kumquat peel, cinnamon, or dark chocolate chips at the end, or as a topping. As a base it works with so many flavors.
But a word of caution: it must be made and eaten straight away. It’s a contradiction in terms, but this ice cream does not freeze well. It turns into a crystalline mass so different from its creamy origin.
On a hot summer’s day we’ve served this to so many of our guests. It’s a fat-free, gluten-free, vegetarian, vegan, Paleo, Dukan, Banting, WeightWatchers kind-of-dessert that should appeal to everyone. Except those who hate bananas.
14 Comments
Sorry to hear about the fire….. quite dramatic and thankfully no-one hurt! Love the ice-cream!
Yes, it was very dramatic for Chris, Simon, Cosmos Daka, and all the fire-fighting workers. They handled it with great fortitude! We all love the ice cream! xo
What a drama on behalf of a banana! Great story – can just imagine, smell even, the panic and excitement. Have never heard of, or tried banana icecream. Have you ever tried wine icecream? Saw something about it on twitter – didn’t follow up on the details but liked the idea.
I have not tried wine ice cream, Georgie! It sounds interesting. The banana ice cream is easy, and well worth the effort … although where you live, it will have some serious competition! xo
While I weep with you for the disaster,one has to maintain a sense of humour in such circumstances, and you seem to have that in abundance. We run only a couple of cold rooms in an abattoir in Mozambique and the lightening often takes out the compressors. The only one to fix these is one Farai who has a vague knowledge on how to fix ‘clod ‘ equipment. He is a blessing and an exasperation at the same time. When I read your blog to my brother he remarked ” I wonder if they have a Farai in Livingstone, and we both packed up laughing.!
I love your blogs which are so very pertinent to our part of the world. Keep it up. And a happy new year to your both.
What a lovely comment, Dal. Thank you. Actually, we have more than one Farai on this farm to fix the ‘clod’ equipment (brilliant expression) … including Chris! I just love how everyone around here can always fix something — in fact they take pride in fixing what’s broken — and keep moving forward in spite of the myriad disasters. Happy new year to you, too. All the best, Annabel
Oh no! Glad it wasn’t any worse and, as somebody said above, that you managed it with such a good sense of humor. The banana ice cream sounds wonderful. I always freeze my too ripe bananas and make smoothies from them. Similar, and so good.
Thank you for your kind comment, Michelle. To be sure, it could have been worse … and thank goodness no one was hurt. Not wasting ripened bananas is a great incentive for the ice cream/smoothie, don’t you think? I have had both … and love them both!
Yum, sounds delicious. Here’s a Kiwi version of your ice cream using a combination of feijoas and bananas. http://nadialim.com/recipe/instant-feijoa-ice-cream/
Could be tricky to grow feijoas in Zambia but it might inspire some other fruit combinations.
Thank you, Alicia! We grow guavas here, so I’m assuming they are similar to the feijoa? (Ours have yellow skin and pink flesh.) I love them … and as soon as they are ripe, which is any day now, I will try this recipe. Thanks for the heads-up! Happy new year to you, and this comes with love … xo
Oh no Annabel…shame about the fire! But you are amazing! How could you even LOOK eat a banana after that. What is that saying? If you are given lemons in life make lemonade. Both you and Chris have that rare ability to look forward. Congratulations for getting through the fire without and human casualties. xxxx.
Thank you so much, Hellie. I guess it could have been much worse … and as I said earlier, thank goodness no one was hurt. Banana production is once again full steam ahead, and banana ice cream only a blender away! Wishing you and Nigel all the very best for 2015. Annabel xo
So so sorry to read this fire occurrence, Annabel – I’ve got a slight idea how it feels from Cape Town year back where we stood with a horse pipe in the back yard observing the blazing fire coming closer…dreadful feeling. Very sorry for your loss – may it bring you abundance in the weird and wonderful ways of the Universe! All my New Year blessings to you guys!!
I’m back in town since Wednesday – happily so. On Monday kids and Victoria will be back – can’t wait to be re-united with Luna AND Aron!! Still busy job-hunting – no news yet, but I remain positive…I’ve upped my yoga classes instead:-) should be fun!
Hope to see you soon – lots of love and best wishes to Chris as well
Daniela Rudner Team Leader Multi-sectoral Response to HIV in Zambia GFA Consulting Group GmbH
A project / programme assisted by the German Government via the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
Mob.: +260 9 6401 9510 Off: +260 9 5420 7553 E-mail: daniela.rudner@gmail.com Skype: daniela.rudner ______________________________ GIZ Office Livingstone 2193 Kanyanta Rd, Livingstone, Zambia P.O. Box 61216
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Thank you, Daniela … wonderful to hear from you, and to know you are back in town. Did you have a lovely time over the holidays? I am hoping that 2015 brings you joyful new beginnings, much adventure, love and great health! See you soon … xo
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