topic Re: A question about bananas..... in Community Chat

A question about bananas.....

sophiamarie — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:31:58 GMT

We all know that bananas go through a lot of processes before they hit our table. They are picked, cleaned, disinfected, sorted, sent to our stores, etc......

Soooooo, how come when i buy a bunch of GREEN (and I mean GREEN) bananas, in two days, they are ready to be thrown away???? They are all soft and mushy.

Does anyone know how I can keep bananas longer than a few days??? I tried the paper bag trick but that just makes them look okay on the outside but still mushy on the inside. TIA

This may just be a Florida thing - I don't know. Or, it could be where I keep them on the counter. Too much light???

Re: A question about bananas.....

hennypenny — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:35:29 GMT

I am waiting for an answer also. I think it has to do with all the chemicals used on them. It never used to be the way it is. mr henny eats a small banana everyday and I can't buy a weeks worth because they turn.

Re: A question about bananas.....

lulu2 — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:39:32 GMT

When I buy green bananas they last a week+. Then again I'm in NJ.

This is not true in summer.

Re: A question about bananas.....

sophiamarie — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:44:09 GMT

On 3/31/2014 hennypenny said:
I am waiting for an answer also. I think it has to do with all the chemicals used on them. It never used to be the way it is. mr henny eats a small banana everyday and I can't buy a weeks worth because they turn.

I try to limit them to just 5. At breakfast every morning, my husband will have a toasted cinnamon/raisin bagel with cream cheese and coffee. Then we discuss the news over our coffee. Then, he'll reach for a banana. Then, he'll look at them again and decide to eat another one because he knows they are not going to last much longer.

I must say though, when we went shopping and I sent him for the bananas, he grabbed a bunch of about 9. I would have pulled 4 off but figured, oh well, I could always make jello or banana bread. But why should I be forced to do that???? I just don't get it. At what point are they picked, if I am buying them when they are a "forrest green"?????? The very next day, they were yellow. Do they turn yellow the next day if they are still in the store????? So many questions - so few answers....

Re: A question about bananas.....

hennypenny — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:44:26 GMT

Ahhh, lulu, we have had NO winter here in CA.

Re: A question about bananas.....

brii — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:44:44 GMT

Lately, this has really started to annoy me. They are very green and take a few days to turn yellow and then immediately start to turn black. Nobody has the answer.

Re: A question about bananas.....

Mersha — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:55:13 GMT

The thing that has worked best for me is storing green/semi green bananas in my very cool laundry room that is downstairs.

There is only a small window and they get indirect sun during the day. During the evening/night, it is dark in there and I think that helps keep them from ripening too fast.

If I put them in my bright kitchen with the lights on all the time, they ripen twice as fast.

Re: A question about bananas.....

CelticCrafter — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 16:59:52 GMT

The last bunch we bought went right from neon green to speckley brown - no yellow in between.

Re: A question about bananas.....

DoneTryin — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:37:20 GMT

I wish there was a good solution to that. In CO here, & my green bananas start turning within a couple of days, less during the hot summer months, even though I try to keep them in a cool spot in the pantry. I consume at least 2 bananas a day (to help with hypertension) & hate having to go to the store every few days to get fresh bananas. Since I mostly use them in smoothies, I just started freezing them. I usually just mush them up with a few drops of lemon or lime juice & freeze in ice-cube trays. When they're frozen, I transfer them into a vacuum-sealed bag & can then just take out a couple or three every time I'm making my smoothie.

Re: A question about bananas.....

LImom — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:44:02 GMT

When you get them home, immediately separate them from the bunch. They will stop ripening, and last longer. I swear this works. Try it. My grandmother taught me this when I was a kid.

Re: A question about bananas.....

sidsmom — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:47:19 GMT

My raw foodies live on bananas, so I take their answers like gospel.

Not ripening: picked too early, missed the ethylene gas chamber, exposed to cold during transit...also not removing them from their plastic bags during transit can cause them to rot & not ripen.

Stop ripening: if buying a bunch, cover the end (were they connect) with plastic wrap; if buying a bunch, separate them & place each away from each other; freezing is an option if ripening too fast (for smoothies).

Buy organic bananas if you can budget....there's a big difference..very sweet & creamy compared to the Dole @ the generic supermarket.

BTW: if you by "ripe" bananas @ the store, to get them at the proper ripe stage @ their sweetest, add on another week after you buy...they'll look funky & brown, but they are the sweetest. The Produce Manager might have discounted bananas for $.25-$.35/pound that are "too ripe" , but that's when my food budget is stretched....I can get a mountain of naners of a couple bucks...they are PERFECT at that stage!

Re: A question about bananas.....

Lion — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:52:33 GMT

I buy them green-ish and only leave them on the counter for 24 hrs. Then they go into the refrigerator. They last a good two weeks. They last 3 wks if you don't mind them getting a little bit soft at that point.

The outside will darken but the inside is just fine. I try to grocery shop only every 2 weeks or so. This has solved the banana problem for me.

Re: A question about bananas.....

clemintine — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:53:45 GMT

I have a theory that runs through my head EVERY time I buy fruit or produce. The stores are soooo cold that things stall, but we take them to our warm cozy home and they jump start to ripe!

I buy green bananas, get maybe 3 days of good eating. Soooo, I buy 3 or 4 at a time. It's a given that I will at least be in a small market or convenience store in the next few days and can replenish. I eat one every day. ARE THEY NOW SAYING BANANAS CONTRIBUTE TO BELLY FAT? Did I see that?

Re: A question about bananas.....

hennypenny — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:53:53 GMT

there used to be a banana farm near our house. The town (la conchita) had a terrible landslide and the farm closed down shortly after. The bananas were wonderful!

Re: A question about bananas.....

BellaPaprika — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:56:33 GMT

On 3/31/2014 sophiamarie said:
We all know that bananas go through a lot of processes before they hit our table. They are picked, cleaned, disinfected, sorted, sent to our stores, etc......

Soooooo, how come when i buy a bunch of GREEN (and I mean GREEN) bananas, in two days, they are ready to be thrown away???? They are all soft and mushy.

Does anyone know how I can keep bananas longer than a few days??? I tried the paper bag trick but that just makes them look okay on the outside but still mushy on the inside. TIA

This may just be a Florida thing - I don't know. Or, it could be where I keep them on the counter. Too much light???

OP, you do know that the "paper bag trick" is to speed up the ripening don't you?

Re: A question about bananas.....

CouponQueen — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:04:40 GMT

On 3/31/2014 BlueCollarBabe said:
On 3/31/2014 sophiamarie said:
We all know that bananas go through a lot of processes before they hit our table. They are picked, cleaned, disinfected, sorted, sent to our stores, etc......

Soooooo, how come when i buy a bunch of GREEN (and I mean GREEN) bananas, in two days, they are ready to be thrown away???? They are all soft and mushy.

Does anyone know how I can keep bananas longer than a few days??? I tried the paper bag trick but that just makes them look okay on the outside but still mushy on the inside. TIA

This may just be a Florida thing - I don't know. Or, it could be where I keep them on the counter. Too much light???

OP, you do know that the "paper bag trick" is to speed up the ripening don't you?

That is what I thought..when I read her post I was thinking to myself "uh oh..I have been doing it wrong????" lol

Re: A question about bananas.....

terrier3 — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:11:24 GMT

I notice that this happens at certain times of the year.

Right now we are experiencing the green one day, brown the next problem.

I wonder if this has to do with bananas and their harvest seasons????

Re: A question about bananas.....

redtabby — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:14:14 GMT

I peel and freeze any that are getting too ripe, they are perfect in smoothies.

Re: A question about bananas.....

sidsmom — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:14:28 GMT

On 3/31/2014 terrier3 said:
I notice that this happens at certain times of the year.

Right now we are experiencing the green one day, brown the next problem.

I wonder if this has to do with bananas and their harvest seasons????

terrier...I believe you're up in the Northeast correct? With your crazy weather coldwarmcoldwarmcold this winter, I bet you didn't have a nice crop of naners, yes? Might be the reason they're green one day, brown the next.

Re: A question about bananas.....

lulu2 — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 18:15:16 GMT

On 3/31/2014 LImom said: When you get them home, immediately separate them from the bunch. They will stop ripening, and last longer. I swear this works. Try it. My grandmother taught me this when I was a kid.

Interesting. I see all those poor, single, over ripen bananas at the grocery store looking so unwanted until a baker comes along.