20 



From unripe bananas meal can easily be ])repared, see below. No 

 ■ unripe bananas, however small the bunches, should be wasted. If not 

 required for the house feed pigs on them. 



PUEPAEATION OF MEALS. 



The most valuable and most nutritious of the meals which can be 

 produced locally is corn meal which has been dealt^with already, p. 11. 



Detailed information on other meals is given in the Bulletin, Dejiart- 

 vient of Agriculture, XVI, No. 2 pp. 70-8S, Bananas, sweet potatoes, 

 tannia, dasheen, all yield meals which can be used as a substitute for 

 wheaten flour in maldng bread, porridge, Johnny cakes, dumplings, roti, 

 etc., etc. 



The best way to store any of these products is as dried chips which 

 can be converted into meal as required. The Department has samples 

 which have kept perfectly good for twelve months. During damp 

 weather it may be necessary to resun them when opportunity offers. 



Banana Meal. 



Any kind of banana or plantain is suitable. 



Cut the bunch when it is about three-quarter full or the fruit will 

 ripen instead of drying. 



Peel the banana and slice thinly with a nickel or fruit knife or one 

 made from a thin piece of bamboo. 



Do not use steel knives. Spread the sliced bananas thinly on wooden 

 trays in the sun to dry. In fine weather they will dry in two or three 

 days. 



When dry crush in an ordinary corn mill or pound in a mortir and 

 sift through fine muslin. 



Banana meal is the cheapest to produce of those experimented with. 



Uses of Banana Meal. 



Banana meal is very digestible and nutritious. Good bread (See 

 page 21) can be made by using one part of banana meal with two 

 parts of wheaten flour, proceed in the same way as for making ordinary 

 bread. 



Banana meal cooked and eaten as oatmeal porridge is an excellent 

 food. 



Used in the form of milk pudding it is prepared in the same way as 

 rice pudding and it is very palata^blc. 



Make your .Johnny cakes, rofci and dumplings by mixing banana 

 meal with wheaten flour in whatever proportion you find suits you best. 



Dasheen, Sweet Potato, Tannia and Cassava can all be made in the 

 same way as advised for Banana meal, i.e., peeling, washing, slicing and 

 milling the dried chips. Excellent bread etc., can also be made from 

 any of the above meals with wheaten flour. 



It is really unnecessary to peel sweet potatoes as the skin is so thin ; 

 they should then of course be well washed. . 



