FIVE WAYS TO USE IMPERFECT BANANAS

October 26, 2016

Now that Spud is selling imperfect produce, you might be wondering what you are supposed do with it! Well, wonder no more – we’re going to give you some great ways to use all the imperfect bananas you can buy.

Imperfect Bananas

When you order imperfect bananas, you can expect them to be over-ripe, gently bruised, separated from their bunch (yes, weirdly this is considered a flaw), or minorly cold damaged. Spud has actually sold these bananas for a long time due to demand from banana-bread bakers and smoothie makers,s o chances are you are already familiar with imperfect bananas and what to do with them. Still, 10 lbs is a lot of bananas, and maybe you want to branch out? Here are some more innovative uses:

Banana Tea

Recently we discovered banana tea, and now it is all we talk about in the office. Basically, you boil a banana (skin on) for 10 minutes and then drink the water. The potassium and magnesium in the peel help relax your muscles, and are beneficial for your nervous system, so this is the perfect before bed drink.

Banana Soft Serve

If you’re part of the Vitamix cult, you likely already know this, but for the rest of you, this is huge. In a high powered blender or food processor, frozen bananas whip into the most delicious vegan, gluten-free, no added sugar custardy soft serve texture. You can eat it plain, or mix virtually anything you like into it for flavoured soft serve. You need to use ripe, soft, sweet bananas for this, so the imperfect bananas are, well, perfect!

Pan-fried Bananas

I would never have thought to cook bananas like this until a friend served me some one night. He just sliced some bananas length-wise, warmed some coconut oil in a pan, and sauteed them until they were crispy and lightly browned. Full disclosure – I don’t actually love normal banana flavour – but they were AMAZING. We ate them straight out of the pan, but they would probably be even more impressive on top of ice cream, pancakes, even yogurt. Or in a toasted sandwich with peanut butter.

Tenderize Meat

Strange but true: bananas are a natural meat tenderizer. You’ve probably seen meat wrapped in banana leaves in Asian cuisine, and that’s why. To harness the tenderizing power fo the banana for yourself, rub a peeled, 0ver-ripe banana all over your tougher cuts meat before cooking.

Cure Your Pup’s Upset Stomach

First of all, you definitely want to consult with your vet before treating your pets with any home remedy. With that in mind, mashed up banana is a very common way to help settle a dog’s upset stomach. The enzymes in a ripe banana can help soothe irritation in the intestines, and spasms of the colon. Some vets even recommend feeding ripe bananas to dogs with colitis! Like most things, moderation is key – too much banana can actually be harmful to dogs. Medium to large dogs can have half a banana a couple times a week, while smaller pups should only have a few small bits. Again, consult your vet to see what’s appropriate for your dog.

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