Community Chat

[sophiamarie]

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???

[hennypenny]

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.

[lulu2]

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

This is not true in summer.

[sophiamarie]

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....

[hennypenny]

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

[brii]

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.

[Mersha]

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.

[CelticCrafter]

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

[DoneTryin]

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.

[LImom]

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.