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Japan makes banana with peel you can eat

Banana Peel - Level 0

A new banana has a skin you can eat. Banana farmers in Japan made it. They found a new way of growing bananas. Farmers grow their banana trees at a freezing temperature of -60°C. They then put the trees in 27ºC heat. The temperature change makes the tree grow quickly. This makes the skin soft enough to eat.

The new banana is called the "Mongee". They are not cheap. One banana costs six dollars. Farmers don't grow many. They will grow more, so the price will go down. Japan gets 99% of its bananas from other countries. Maybe Japanese people will eat more bananas grown in Japan. The Mongee banana skin is very sweet.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Banana Peel - Level 1

There is now a banana with a skin you can eat. Most people would never do this. Banana farmers in Japan made a way of growing bananas with a peel we can eat. The new way is called the "freeze-thaw awakening". Farmers keep their banana trees at a freezing temperature of -60°C. They then put the trees in 27ºC temperatures. The change in temperature makes the tree grow very quickly. This makes the skin thin and soft enough to eat.

The new banana is called the "Mongee". Farmers sell it in bunches of 10 bananas. They are not cheap. One banana costs six dollars. Farmers don't grow many, so the price is high. They will grow more, so the price will fall. Japan imports about 99% of its bananas. The Mongee could mean Japanese people will eat more bananas that are grown in Japan. The Mongee banana skin is sweet. It has nutrients like vitamin B6 and magnesium.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Banana Peel - Level 2

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It is hard to believe, but there is now a banana with a skin you can eat. Most people would never eat the peel of a banana. However, banana farmers in Japan created a technique of growing bananas with a peel we can eat. The new method is called the "freeze-thaw awakening" technique. Farmers in the west of Japan keep their banana trees at a freezing temperature of -60°C. The farmers then put the trees in 27ºC temperatures. The big change in temperature makes the tree suddenly grow. It grows too quickly for the peel to fully develop. This makes the skin thin and soft enough to eat.

The new banana is called the "Mongee". Farmers are selling it in bunches of 10 bananas. They are not cheap. One banana costs yen 650 (about six dollars). The farmers have not grown many of them, so the price is high. They want to grow more, so this means the price will come down. Bananas are Japan's most popular fruit. Japan imports about 99% of its bananas. The Mongee could mean Japanese people will eat more bananas that are grown in Japan. The Mongee banana skin is very sweet. It contains nutrients such as vitamin B6 and magnesium.

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11 online activities    |    8-page printable   (PDF)

Banana Peel - Level 3

It almost seems too hard to believe, but there is now a banana that has an edible peel. Most people would never think of eating the peel of a banana. However, banana farmers in Japan have created a special technique for growing bananas with a peel we can eat. The new banana-growing method is called the "freeze-thaw awakening" technique. Farmers in Okayama, in the west of Japan, keep their banana trees at a freezing cold temperature of -60° Celsius. The farmers then replant the trees in 27ºC temperatures. The huge change in temperature makes the tree suddenly grow too quickly for the peel to fully mature. This makes the skin thin, soft and sweet enough to eat.

The new variety of banana is called the "Mongee". Farmers are now selling it in small bunches of 10 bananas. They are not cheap. One Mongee banana costs yen 650 (about six dollars). The farmers have not grown a lot of Mongee bananas, so the price is high. They want to grow more so they can sell them all over the world. This means the price will come down. Bananas are the most popular fruit in Japan. Similar to other countries, Japan imports most of its bananas. About 99% of bananas in Japanese stores are imported. The Mongee could mean Japanese people eat more home-grown bananas. The Mongee banana skin is sweet and contains nutrients such as vitamin B6 and magnesium.

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25 online activities    |    27-page printable    |    2-page mini-lesson