In my earlier days of vegetable and fruit shopping, I invariably bought things that tasted awful. After a lot of experience as well as tips from my parents who are a pro at selecting the right stuff, I’ve started selecting fruits and vegetables which are good. These tips might be helpful to you too, especially if you do your fruit and vegetable shopping yourself. In the first of this series, let me give you a few tips on how to select good bananas and store them since it’s an all season fruit and available across the world.
- You should select bananas based on when you want to consume them.
- Since bananas are usually harvested when they are greenish and not fully ripe, greener ones will last more days, while yellowish and brown-spotted bananas should be eaten within the next day.
- Bananas could be of the green or yellow variety. Good ripe green bananas also have a yellowish tinge and good ripe yellow bananas are bright yellow. That’s the indication.
- Bananas should look and feel quite firm, and bright.
- The peel should not be crushed or cut and their stems and tips should be intact.
- Bananas being very fragile should be stored preferably by hanging it on the banana stand or by turning the bunch upside down so that it forms an arch on the table. This will prevent the bananas from developing brown spots due to friction with the table/surface
- Bananas if not fully ripe should be stored at room temperature to allow the ripening process to complete.
- Refrigeration hampers the ripening process though ripe bananas can be stored in a fridge.
- To speed up the ripening process, wrap the bananas in some paper, or in a drum of rice grainsImage source: http://www.qrabbit.com/images/banana.jpg
