If you are like my family, you do not like very ripe bananas. Everyone in this house likes them a little green so I am always stuck with the leftovers to use in smoothies or to bake with.
Over the weekend I read this tip in an old Tightwad Gazette book. I decided to test it myself. Bought one bunch of bananas and separated them in two. One half sat on the counter as usual and the other half you seal up in a plastic bag tightly. I used a produce bag and twist tie.
After several days you can see the difference. The bananas that sat out are quite ripe but the ones I sealed in the bag are still partially green. Wow how did I not know this before. Now we can have eatable bananas all week until next shopping day.
If you do end up with over ripe bananas you can read what I do to use them later here. And here are a couple of recipes to use up those bananas.
Monkey Bars
And for Banana Chip Muffins.
Linking to:
A Bowl Full of Lemons
Wow Us Wed.
Raising Homemakers
Organize and Decorate Everything
Women Living Well
Humbled Homemaker
Southern Hospitality
46 comments:
Elaine, this a great tip as I cannot stand a ripe banana either. Will try it. Please think of me today and tomorrow as I am baring my soul on my blog as never before, I am scared. hugs, olive
Great tip Elaine. I freeze them once they are ripe to use in recipes but would love for them to stay fresh longer.
writing these recipes down now. thanks for the banana advice... they have to be not to ripe or not to green for me .... right in the middle. which is tough ... thanks for the great recipes. (:
I am so glad you posted this because I love bananas. It seems that by the time the green green is gone and perfect then mush...so I intend to use your wonderful information..Thanks
Dolly
We go through banans like crazy here. I only eat the greens ones. I'll be doing this for sure. I made french toast from banana bread last weekend which sounds kinda gross but my husband absolutely loved it! Says he won't eat french toast any other way now. Give it a try.
Wow!!!
I did not know this! Thanks for the tip. ~ Maureen
Great tip. We have this problem all the time. When I shop I only buy a few bananas at a time and that's fine. But, when Hubby shops he buys way too many (it doesn't matter how often I tell him not to, he MUST buy in bulk) they always get too ripe and sometimes I just have to throw them away.
I'm going to cook the Monkey Bars right now. Thanks for the recipe. My MiL is West Indian and she told me off when I was first married for putting bananas in the fridge, so it never occured to me I could freeze them! xx
This tip is brilliant! I feel terrible when I have to throw a banana away or stick it in the freezer. The muffin recipe looks great too...hope you are having a good week!
And don't forget banana nut bread. Yum!
Thanks for the great tip!! :) ~Sara
Hi Elaine,
Thanks for the great tip. I detest overly ripe bananas and I use them in baking and smoothies too. I also read somewhere that if you pull the bunch apart {separate them}, they will last longer. I have been doing that and it does help. Have a wonderful day.
Blessings,
Sandi
A great tip, I also love to make something with the really ripe ones too! ;)
Hmm... who knew?!
Thanks for sharing your tip with us.
I actually like my bananas pretty ripe... if they get too ripe, we freeze them, and I use them later in recipes.
We keep bananas all the time in the fruit bowl so I will try this! I know if you put one next to an apple it will ripen faster. Thanks for sharing! ♥
I did not know this! Thanks for sharing such a valuable tip!
Elaine,
What a wonderful tip. Thank you! And I am eager to try your banana chip muffin.
How did I not know this????? Great tip!
Great tip to pass along. I don't like banana's but my grandbabies do! Hugs and blessings, Cindy
Wow did not know that! Great tip and glad to know it worked!
Thanks so much for this tip!!! I buy bananas every week and can not keep them slightly green the way we like them too! I will get some more tomorrow and try this. XO, Pinky
Great tim! I had no idea either. I will definitely give it a try. Thanks
Thanks for this tip!! My hubby and girls love very ripe bananas {ick!} I LOVE more green bananas!
I'm so happy I discovered you from Wow Us Wednesdays!!!
~*Jessica
No way!!! After all these years, this is something I never knew. huh! I have been throwing out tons of bananas lately and here it is I could have been eating them. Well, I just bought some bananas today and I'm sticking them back in the plastic produce sack. Thank you so much for sharing this. I'm pinning this one ;)
Oh, I'm going to try the Monkey Bars...sounds and looks yummy!!
I love easy tips that I wish I would have known sooner! What a money saver, too! Thanks for sharing!
Caroline @ Double the Decor
I made the Monkey Bars! Absolutely delicious - and so easy. Looking forward to the leftovers tonight warmed up with ice cream on top. xx
Yum, the recipes sound delicious. Bananas never last long enough around here to get overripe, but this is a great tip. Thanks.
I saw you had a post on bananas (which I love...saw it on another blog sidebar) so I had to come over. Thankyou! That is so good to know. Must be why my local Costco store keeps them in bags. I am going to run and take mine out, as I have trouble with costco bananas ripening. love,andrea
Personally, I like the riper bananas. And they are so good in so many recipes! Love the photo of your banana muffin. Looks delicious!
YES! Will totally be implementing this with the next batch I buy! :)
Thanks for the tip! I actually like mine a little "freckled" BUT I can only buy 2-3 at a time because once they "freckle" they get mushy within a day or 2! I will definitely use this tip! :-)
I do prefer mine ripe, but they get way past ripe too quickly. Thanks for this tip and thanks for sharing it at Wow.
brilliant tip!
I'm definitely trying this one. I've heard so many different things that were supposed to do the trick. The latest one was taking them all apart from the bunch. This actually slowed them a little, but not much. I'm looking forward to trying this one, Elaine.
CAS
Thanks for this great tip and Thanks a lot for sharing the one of my favourite recipe....
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With Love
Farah
Thank you so much for this tip!
We also like our bananas greenish, so most of what we buy end up as banana bread :)
I know it sounds dramatic, but this tip is lifechanging. I run to the grocery every couple of days because we hate overripe bananas in this house too. Brilliant! Thanks so much for sharing.
Thanks for the tip, I'll have to try it! My method is to buy them in stages of greeness. Near perfect ones for the next day after shopping, and then one or two that are a little greener, then one or two that are fairly green, so that they ripen up perfectly over the next few days it takes us to eat them.
Great idea! Thanks. I'm going to use it when I buy bananas next time. We always have to eat them so fast or make banana bread. Which isn't a bad thing. Thanks for other recipes for using ripe bananas. Visiting from Wow Us Wednesday.
Babs
I'll be giving the banana trick a try!
What a great tip, Elaine! How did I live this long & not know that???
Thanks for sharing it!
fondly,
Rett
Hi Elaine, it really works!
I've tried it too and posted it.
(Of course with a link to your blog)
Hi Elaine
Great tip. I always wait until they are black and pop them in a snaplock bag in the freezer. Then they are great to put in smoothies or for cooking. But, that's a great way to keep them fresh for a little longer. I'll give it a go.
Thanks
Deb.
I would have thought the plastic bag would have made them ripen faster.. Go know!! Thanks for a very helpful tip
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