This week we picked up four boxes of discard fruits and vegetables from Mr. Produce Guy.
How do you eat your banana’s? Do you prefer them green? Totally yellow, or with a few spots?
My grandfather would wait until a banana was practically black before he ate it. As a kid I thought it was gross, but as an adult I now know that each one of those brown spots on a banana means the banana is ripening and the more spots, the sweeter the banana.
But it makes we wonder, what are people thinking when they will only BUY a totally yellow {or yellowish green} banana at the grocery store? Are they actually eating them that way? If they bring the bananas home and don’t eat them before the brown spots appear, do they toss them out?
Have we become banana snobs?
I don’t know, maybe I’m losing it. Maybe after bringing home so many boxes of free produce over the past year I’ve turned into some sort of pro ripe fruit crazy person and soon I’ll be chanting “Save the fruit… it’s still good!” up and down the grocery aisles.
Yep, that’s where you are going to find me. In the produce section, comforting the ripe fruit. If you see me there, stop and say hello. 😉
~Mavis
Would you like to see what else we have brought home over the past year?
Head on over HERE to read all the past stories and to see all the pictures.
If you have just stumbled upon this series and are wondering how I got all this food for free, you’ll want to read this story first.
Yonanas Deluxe Ice Cream Treat Maker – Perfect if you have a lot of extra fruit!
Ashley says
My 18 month old is a banana freak. I always buy a bag of discounted bananas that are spotty plus some regular priced greenish bananas. Once he eats (or I freeze) all the ripe ones, the ones that were green are ready to eat. That’s my banana strategy :p
Katelyn says
I like my bananas still a little green – I prefer the flavor and texture – so I only buy 1 or 2 bananas at a time. If they do get too ripe (aka ripe, ha!) for me, I let ’em go ’til they’re black, then mush and freeze for banana bread. When my daughter was a baby, she liked banana mashed with avocado, which is actually pretty darn good on toast for us adults/older kids, too!
Sakura says
My husband can only eat bananas when they are still a little greenish, the less sugar the better for him. For me I eat them when I remember. I forget a lot, so we have banana muffins or bread here a few times a month.
Mary Ann says
My husband will only eat them without spots, so I buy them green, he eats his fill, and if any make it to the spotty stage then I finally get to eat them!
If I don’t remember to eat them and find them very overripe I freeze them whole and use them as needed in baking or smoothies.
If I have too many in the freezer I’ll peel them and break them into pieces and put them on top of the block wall in the backyard for the opossums passing by at night. There’s never a reason around here to throw them away. 🙂
Amanda says
We always buy a mix of ripe and still green. My 3 year old would four a day if I let her so she eats the ripe ones right away and we let the green ones ripen up on the counter.
By the way have you ever tried Kale Chips? They are super easy to make and are AWESOME!!!
Erika says
If it’s a banana, my kids will eat it. They don’t like bruised spots on the banana itself, but peel color and banana texture/sweetness doesn’t matter to them. I like mine yellow to a little spotty. I don’t like green since they’re kinda crunchy then. If I want bananas for muffins or other baking, I have to buy the bags of discounted spotty/black ones from the store.
Kristin says
I also only eat bananas when they’re still a bit green. I’m not a huge fan of banana flavor, but that flavor is different when they’re underripe. The texture is better, too – not at all mushy (I can’t stand mushy bananas!). When mine start turning brown, I use them for baking (unless my husband eats them first – he’s not at all picky about his bananas).
Cecily says
I agree Kristen. I do not really care for the flavor or texture of ripe bananas. They are completely different when they are slightly under ripe. Not crunchy, just firm and not too sweet. Black bananas around here go into banana muffins or the compost bin.
Amanda S says
I try to buy green bananas because I usually still have some at home. So I’ll continue eating the ones at home and by the time those are gone, the green ones I had bought at the store are now yellow and ready to eat! I will eat them with spots on them but if they are ripe, they get made into banana bread or muffins, or put into the freezer to use later. I agree with Erika, I don’t like green bananas because they are not soft enough. And if they are too ripe, they are hard to hold while you’re eating (they tend to fall over) and are way too mushy.
Tammy says
I’m not above buying bananas a little ripe, but I do prefer to buy them a bit on the green side so they will last all week. Otherwise, if I buy a bunch of bananas that are already ripe, I have to figure out what to do with all my bananas in just a few days.
Jessica Nagel says
How I eat my bananas? You’re gonna think I’m totally crazy.
I honestly do not like bananas – but – I will eat ripe bananas…grilled. That’s right, i said grilled. I make one long slice down the middle of the banana, sprinkle it with some sugar and cinnamon, throw it on the grill, and grill it for a few minutes. then I open the the peel from the slice a little bit, add some creme fraiche, and voila, dessert! It’s actually really yummy!
But, I don’t normally eat bananas that way, so they go black…then I make my world famous banana bread!
Sue in NC says
I love a speckly banana, at the minimum, and will happily eat them black. I guess I’m weird. To me there is no point in eating a greenish banana, might as well eat a raw potato. Hubby likes yellow, or slightly greenish, no spots. What I don’t get is people who don’t like ripe bananas because they are too sweet but do like banana bread, which is as sweet or sweeter than a ripe banana. I buy hubby green banana and me the reduced “too ripe” ones.
Amanda says
Of course I can’t speak for others, but I don’t like eating ripe bananas as a snack not because they are too sweet but because they are harder to eat. When they are too ripe, they don’t hold their shape when you peel them and they sort of fall over and make a mess. They are too mushy and get a weird texture at that point, and are only good in the liquid-y like format that you use in banana bread. I was thinking also that if people think they taste sweeter when they are ripe, that makes sense you would put them in banana bread, since that can be a dessert, versus eating it with their cereal (like I do) because you don’t really want a dessert for breakfast!
Tari says
I am the guilty one! I only buy green bananas, or at least ones with a little green on them because if they have freckles, it is a tell-tale sign that the built up sugars will make my mouth itch! bleh! I must be slightly allergic to that sugar.
Laura says
We like them best when they are just starting to get spots. Too ripe and they go in smoothies or to the rats and Guinea pig. I like banana bread, but the rest of the family doesn’t, so unless I want to eat it all myself I don’t make it.
My oldest son wondered if the bruises would hurt him. I said no, they were sweeter, so he just shrugged and ate them ever since. I cut them out!
Amanda says
If you’re the only one who likes banana bread, make mini loaves and freeze them! Then you can defrost one when you want it and it will last you a few days! 🙂
Jennifer says
I can only eat bananas when they’re yellow with a bit of green. If they have any brown spots anywhere, I gag.
I was able to eat ripe bananas until I got pregnant 11 years ago, and then they made me really sick, both ripe and not. Now I can eat them again if they aren’t ripe, but the child who was in my belly 11 years ago, can’t stand them either way.
Helen in Meridian says
If you peel and wrap those bananas, you can throw them in the freezer to use in your Yonanss machine with some of those frozen strawberries making quick free ice cream.
Lissa says
I like them slightly underripe but I’m too cheap to buy them full-price so I usually get the slightly speckled discounted ones when I do end up buying bananas.
I have been having great luck with my produce discard boxes too, though I am still envious of all the FRUIT you get each week! I have at least an 80% veggie to fruit ratio. Oh well, it’s still GOOD! I decided to do a frugal food challenge for July and keep an accounting of it through a frugal living message board I’m part of. I am going to start July with just the free produce I have in the fridge & freezer + typical spices/olive oil and plan to buy only dried beans, rice, and cheese to eat for the month. So meals will involve those staples, the free eggs I get from a coworker, my free produce (picked up twice weekly), whatever freebies I can obtain couponing, and any treats offered up at work or social events. So far in the last 2 days to prep I’ve spent just $7.50 and have 4lbs shredded cheese, 2lbs brown rice, 2lbs dried pinto beans, 2 dozen eggs, salad dressing + produce box gained me 6 sweet potatoes, 2 regular potatoes, 8 zucchini, 3 bunches baby bok choy, 1 head leaf lettuce, 3 bunches Easter Egg radishes, and 4 ribs celery. I’m fascinated to see what kind of meal variety I can create and how well I do without supplementing the free produce with store-bought!