What To Do With A Crate of Bananas

Did I ever tell you the story of the crate of bananas? Well actually it was two crates of bananas, but what’s a couple of hundred ripe bananas between friends, eh?

Trips to the slaughterhouse happen twice a year, and they are normally 3 days apart. In Ireland the slaughterhouse can have a food market to one side where some meat and other produce is sold on the premises. It’s often sold at wholesale prices. This is where we get our beef in bulk; it’s all in large cuts. I break the large cuts of beef down and fill the freezer. We rarely buy minced beef anymore, I simply take a piece out of the freezer and chop it on demand.

Anyway, on this particular day my husband spotted a crate of bananas. They were practically all black.

There he is standing over the crate of black bananas and the cogs were turning. He knows I like cooking with bananas and I flipping love a bargain. ‘How much for the bananas?’, he asked the girl at the counter. Turned out they were free. They couldn’t sell the black bananas.

Of course I opened the door that evening to a crate containing about 240 odd bananas and  big cheesey grin. He was like the cat that got the cream.

All I could think about was the fruit flies, and not much freezer space.

That many bananas on the turn have a distinctive acetone-like smell. It’s not so bad with a small bunch but with a whole crate? It’s like a gaggle of giggly teens have turned up in the kitchen to paint nails, and not in a good way.

I called the neighbours and asked did anybody want bananas. That got rid of about 100 of them. Nearly halfway there.

There was only one thing for it. I had to peel all the bananas, then split them into chunks, then finally pop them into freezer bags for smoothie portions/portions for cooking with.

What do you do with that many bananas? Well here are some recipe suggestions for you if you’re interested (click on the images below to be brought to the recipe).

3 days later he turned up with another crate of bananas…

Disclaimer: No husbands were harmed in the telling of this tale, although he may not eat a banana for a while.

Banana Muffins

Chocolate Banana Cake

Treacle, Ginger, And Oat Banana Bread

Banana Milkshake Cake

Fruity Flapjacks

Sugar Free Flapjacks