Durga Farms' Banana Love Loaf
Bananas at Durga Farm. Durga Farm photo
This week, I feature Durga Farms in my Farmers Markets column for Kauai Midweek. It was the first time Dan and I had been to their farm in Anahola and I was surprised to learn that they also offer yoga retreats and Ayurveda healing. The owner, Myra Lewin, wrote two books. Freedom in Your Relationship with Food: An Everyday Guide and Simple Ayurvedic Recipes, a companion cookbook. I have both books and will post reviews on them soon. If you’re a Tasting Kauai Facebook fan, you’ll recognize their pumpkins, which I posted pictures of several weeks ago. Three healthy and vital ladies run the property, and I quickly grew to respect their lifestyle and was charmed by their kind personalities. Vanessa Massey is the farm manager and Kelsey Brusnyk is Myra’s assistant. Kelsey recently sent me this note and a recipe to share. Enjoy!
Farm manager Vanessa Massey, Myra Lewin and Kelsey Brusnyk, assistant to Lewin. Daniel Lane photo
“We have just let our large crop of organic asparagus go into dormancy and expect to begin harvesting delicate spears of tasty asparagus next year! Our large pumpkin patches are exploding with creamy, orange pumpkins. There’s so many that we’re selling them plus making pumpkin pies, soups and muffins. Along with the large harvest of pumpkins came bunches of small, sweet bananas! We couldn’t possibly eat them all, so we made our delicious Banana Love Loaf and donated the surplus to the Kauai Food Bank. We hope you enjoy the Banana Love Loaf recipe! Many Blessings From Durga Farms!”
Durga Farms’ Organic Banana Love Loaf. Durga Farms photo
Organic Banana Love Loaf
Making Banana Love Loaf is very simple! Let your intuition guide you. There are an infinite number of variations. We really enjoy making it with raisins and bananas. We have found that maple syrup is nice to use as a sweetener. The cooking time will vary depending on the depth and thickness of your pan, your oven, and the temperature and humidity in the room. If you live in a cold climate, it is suggested not to eat tropical fruit as it is cooling. Supplement the sweetness of the bananas with maple syrup, maple cream or dates. Handle the dough as little as possible. We recommend grinding your own flour as it is even more tasty when its fresh. However if you do buy packaged flour, make sure it is in a sealed bag or container and hasn’t been exposed to light for long periods of time. The light will lower the life force and flavor available in the flour. Be sure to put your love into it, and enjoy!
3 cups of wheat or barley flour
1 cup of brown rice flour
1 cup large raisins
3/4 tsp mineral salt
1/2 tsp cardamom powder
1 tsp sweet cinnamon powder
3-4 medium size ripe bananas
sprinkle of rose water
1-2 Tbsp rose petals (from your yard if no chemicals used)
3 tbsp ghee (in the summer you could use coconut oil with its cooling quality)
- Mix all dry ingredients together with raisins.
- Blend bananas with a little water or herbal tea.
- Mix the ghee, rose water and bananas with the dry ingredients until the batter is moist, thoroughly mixed, and thick.
- Place dough in a stainless steel or glass baking dish. Add rose petals before or after baking.
- Bake at 360 degrees for 15-20 minutes until toothpick comes out clean.
If you are interested in purchasing Durga Farms organic, sustainably grown pumpkins or bananas, or want more information, visit the Hale Pule website, email durgafarms@halepule.com or call Vanessa at 808-344–3634.