Making banana bread when there is no bananas

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I thought everyone knew this, but when a lady at the grocery store thought it was the best thing she had ever heard of I thought I would post the information here just in case someone did not know about it. Use one large jar of baby food bananas to take the place of one whole mashed banana. Makes great banana bread. Baby food will last for 3-5 years unopened.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), July 29, 1999

Answers

Well, I for one did not know this. Thanks for the hint. I will stock up on baby food bananas. It's a great idea!

-- Mo questions (Maureenls@Worldnet.att.net), July 29, 1999.

I have a better, CHEAPER answer. I take great pride in being CHEAP! Baby food is enormously expensive compared to its ingredients. I get bananas for nothing from the local produce store (I ask for the ones they are going to throw out) and then I dehydrate them. I probably have 20 lbs of dehydrated bananas by now. And I can NEVER use all the bananas they are throwing out; it's usually in excess of 50 lbs/day, as far as I can tell. This is timeconsuming but very rewarding.

-- judy (wednesdayschild@hotmail.com), July 29, 1999.

Carol:

Just a note. Persimmons make much better bread than bananas. They can also be dried and canned. We have wild ones everywhere. Even our large herd of possums can't touch the crop. Mixed with black walnuts [which the fuzzy-tailed rats in the trees won't touch] they make a great bread. Hope you have as many as we do.

Best wishes

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), July 29, 1999.


I also dehydrate bananas, but the bread does so much better with the mushy bananas. And more people will stock already prepared food. I like this hint because I don't have to have fresh bananas on hand when I get the urge to make banana bread and it is always in the middle of winter weather when I want it. I also freeze bananas already mashed. I use these first.

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), July 29, 1999.

I have a Persimmon tree in my yard. When we first moved into our house, my DH who is from NYC saw me pick one up and start eating it. He nearly had a stroke! He thought they were poison. Persimmons are not a popular fruit in my area because of the seeds. And there are so many plums, figs, and berries to be picked along the roadside to spend time with persimmons. But they are good eating once you get passed the seeds!

-- Carol (glear@usa.net), July 29, 1999.


You know I am showing my ignorance here BUT...I don't know what the heck a persimmon is! Thus far I have come to realize it is some sort of fruit (I am not the sharpest tool in the shed you know)however, my husband always says that I am about as sweet as a persimmon...so I thought they must be sour...oh well...mmmmmm (mind wondering now) banana bread sounds goooood...

-- shellie (shellie01@hotmail.com), July 29, 1999.

Glad to know I wasn't off base buying some baby food bananas. I had that idea too, but wasn't sure how baking with them would turn out.

A little off topic for this thread, but today at Big Lots, I found Mott's applesauce in little 8 ounce jars for only .39. Since apple sauce doesn't last too long after opening, these jars are perfect for baking with or serving for one meal. I am going to buy some of the little individual serving sizes for using on toast in the mornings. yummy!

-- Dian (bdp@accessunited.com), July 29, 1999.


I found a recipe for carrot cake in a Better Homes and Garden cookbook that calls for baby-food carrots. It works great and I have some extra put away. We might take another look at the baby-food isle and see what products would be useful. The small size will be nice when we have no refrigeration.

-- Homeschooling Grandma (mlaymon@glenn-co.k12.ca.us), July 30, 1999.

Baby food can be expensive... could we can mashed bananas in 1/2 pint jars? Maybe with some lemon juice, to keep 'em from turning brown?

My mommy is from Yorkshire, England (a WW II war-bride ;) and she used to give us mashed bananas (mahshed bah-nah-nas, as she would say) on toast for breakfast. Looks dreadful if you don't add a few drops of lemon when you mash your banana. A teaspoon of sugar, too. And butter on the toast, before the banana, keeps it from getting soggy.

Hmmmm. Mashed bananas on toast with a nice cup of tea. Now I'm hungry AND homesick. And WE'RE OUT OF TEA!!!!!

ARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Going shopping, back soon.

-- Arewyn (isitthatlate@lready.com), July 30, 1999.


Does anyone know where you can get baby-food sized bottles for canning? I ought to be able to can my own mashed carrots/bananas, and small jars could be useful for lots of other things, too.

Thanks for the tips, y'all - it would be even nicer if you'd post some of those recipes. :-)

-- Tricia the Canuck (tricia_canuck@hotmail.com), July 30, 1999.



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