Ripe Bananas Are NOT Cat Food

It’s been one of those weeks, so I’d like to post something light and sassy.

Recently, two banana trees both fruited and turned yellow at the same time. One thing about banana trees, is that when they start turning yellow, it's just a few bananas. Then they ripen exponentially. One day, 3 ripe bananas. The next day, 9 ripe bananas. The next day, they are all ripe and falling off.

Here is my cat demonstrating how cool she is in the midst of all this banana ripening.

My nonchalant smart-aleck cat surrounded by bananas. 

The only way to prevent bananas from ripening too fast is to hack or saw off clusters or “hands” of bananas and put them all in different places while they are still green. 

If bananas are kept together in a bunch, they will ripen more quickly. 

Spread them out and don’t cover them up. Keep them away from other fruit unless you want them to ripen as well. 

BUT, a great tip is if you want your avocado or mango (or other fruit) to ripen more quickly, put it in a paper bag with a ripe banana (or pineapple), close it up for a day or two, and it will ripen more quickly. Of course, your banana might get overripe by that time.

Caution: Do not get banana sap on your clothes.
Wear OLD clothes. The sap will stain your clothing.
Banana sap is also a medicine for sore throats, but tastes NASTY. 

I froze lots of bananas, gave away lots of bananas, and have eaten lots of bananas. Frozen bananas are great for smoothies and of course, banana bread. I also like to dehydrate them, but that takes time. 

Tip: If bananas get overripe, they get even sweeter and more delicious in banana bread.

If you freeze them, make sure to remove the peels first. It’s a lot easier when you want to use them later.  

By the way, this variety is an ice cream banana, super soft and creamy.
It's different from an apple banana, which is a firmer,
small banana often found in farmers markets. 

By the way, Mercury has been in retrograde. It's a weird astronomical cycle when the planet Mercury appears to go in reverse for three weeks. Astrologers say it's a time when there are more computer glitches, problems with communication and contracts, and electronic issues since Mercury is the planet of communication.  My logical brain wants to deny Mercury being in retrograde, but when the computer acts up and there are way more snafus than usual, I try to double and triple check everything. 

As a side effect of extra work and computer issues, I've also been blogging a lot less this month. Plus, I'm gearing up for the A to Z Blogging Challenge next month. 

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