And the Most Annoying Fruit in the World Award goes to...

kr1stadee

My mother wraps the end that all of the bananas are connected to in tin foil. Swears by it!
I don't eat 'em... gross!!

(and I agree, a pomegranate is far more annoying... I bought 2... never again! haha - do you actually eat the seeds on the inside of the little bubbles??)

palmerar

To OP take some time and read up on how to pick out your favorite fruits. There are several tricks to look at a fruit on the outside and know that it will be good on the inside.

Pineapples: make sure all of the segments on the outside are the same size.

Berries: Always look at the top and bottom of the container to make sure none of the berries have spoiled or that no mold has started to grow.

Thin Skinned Fruit: Should yield slightly to the touch, have a mildly sweet smell but be a little firmer than at peak ripeness.

There are plenty of places on the internet to learn how to pick out good fruit, and I've learned a lot from watching cooking shows too.

If you aren't happy with fresh try frozen.

CookNLift

I noticed whenever I buy organic produce, they tend to last longer. I am unsure if being organic actually plays a role but I do know they try and get the best quality produce rather than buying the bottom of the barrel stuff most grocery stores get.

I bought cilantro last Monday from this local organic store, and it's still just as good as it was then, with only a couple leaves turning yellow from me neglecting to close the bag all the way.

Try buying organic bananas and seeing if it helps at all or storing them in a cold place, that way they won't continue to ripen.

lilRicki

try wrapping the stock (where they all join) tightly with saran wrap. That's supposed to slow the process

palmerar

Also, if your bananas are getting sun they will ripen at an extremely fast rate...learned that the hard way but got some awesome banana bread out of it.

Susan823

I freeze them when they are getting near over ripe and blend them in a protein shakes.

Susan823

Interesting I will have to try washing the berries

xinit0

Don't buy so many, and eat them. I buy them 5-6 at a time, on the yellow end of green. I'm fine with them a bit green, or all the way brown, and I eat them.

The only reason organic bananas might seem to last longer (other than confirmation bias) is that they're shipped green (just like normal bananas) but might be warehoused differently en route. The organic bananas at my regular shop are lime green and solid like apples, so I prefer to pick up the regular ones that are ready to eat.

I only buy organic produce when it's not available in regular... At this shop, that's Pink Lady apples and sometimes Honeycrisp.

bokchoybaby

really, the banana? I would have figured it would be the durian...



with it's hard, porcupine like outer shell, it's odor like 17 year old sweaty gym socks off of a putrified corpse, just to get at very little fruit... no matter how good it tastes that is WAY more annoying than a banana.

I mean, even pomegranates are more annoying than a banana.

Durian was my first thought, too. I used to be able to get fuss-free durian ice cream at a raw vegan restaurant but they closed a little while ago. It was tasty but very stinky.

Apples are my trouble fruit. I stopped eating them for a while. When they are good, they can be quite tasty but they're so often mealy due to bad handling that I couldn't take the disappointment any longer. Now I am very cautious about only buying apples during their high season and even then only from the co-op or farmer's market because the regular grocery store ones always tend to be quite bad. Mealy ones can still make decent crisps/cobblers/muffins but I tend to prefer them raw.

Also, berries. I always sniff them to see if they're ripe but I rarely see them loose. I always check out the packages before I buy them but only from the outside. I never open them. And it never fails that the berries have started to rot from somewhere stupid you can't see from exterior inspection.

MrsDanner78

lol Another random thing that I found works with berries...


FIll a bowl....but in a few tablespoons of vinegar and add the berries. Swish them around for a few mins. Drain. Rinse well. Let dry, put in dry bowl and stick in fridge.

lol My berries last me the week without putting on any fur coats...strawberries up to two weeks.

Try it, it works.

This works really well. I actually will buy a LOT of berries at once - they are a favorite in my household, especially when they are in season. So I will fill up my sink with cold water, add a cup or so of vinegar and let them soak for about 20 minutes. Not only does it make them last longer, it cleans off all of the wax and pesticides that may be one them! Just make sure you let the berries DRY fully before you put them in the fridge or they will spoil fast!

hsmaldo

I'm surprised no one has mentioned mangos as a "goldilocks" fruit. I mean, at about $1 each, it has to be timed just right in order to get the most awesomest tasting fruit ever. But for every 1 that is perfect, I end up enduring at least 10 overripe and under ripe fruits. :grumble:

monjacq1964

omg??? Oranges??? they're the least dependable/most time consuming fruit ever!!!! I can't count the number of times i've invested allllllllll that time peeling the freaking thing, and then it turns out dry. ugh

bananas are the most dependable fruit ever. One look and you know how it will be.

NovemberJune

Eat 4 a day and no worries. No more bad bananas!

xFamousLastWordsx

Rather than buy a bunch of 5or6 bananas, I buy 3 yellow and 3-4 green. This way they aren't all getting ripe on the same day.

This is what I do, and if any of them do get too ripe I freeze them and use them for banana bread.

timbrom

http://xkcd.com/388/

Wrong, it's grapefruit.

AlsDonkBoxSquat

I disagree, pomegranate iis the most annoying fruit . . . those damn seeds. It's like a mouthful of tasty pebbles.

To help maintain the freshness of bananas wrap the stem in foil.

LiftAllThePizzas

Feed them to your mouse colony. If you are one of those weird people who don't have a mouse colony, then feed them to your roach colony. Then you save on mouse/roach chow so it's not wasted.

lcvaughn520

If i have bananas going bad, i just peel them and put them in a ziplock bag, and freeze them. Then later you can chop them up, blend them in a processor and make like an ice cream or something with them. Or use them in recipes. The consistency comes out like ice cream, but you'll get that strong banana flavor unless you add ingredients to it.

That is such a good idea...I have no idea why it never occurred to me! I love making smoothies with bananas, so frozen bananas would be nice to have.

I think the most annoying fruit/vegetable (not sure) are avocados!!! While they do last for a while in their shell, once you slice into them, they go bad so quickly. Yuck.

BeachGingerOnTheRocks

really, the banana? I would have figured it would be the durian...



with it's hard, porcupine like outer shell, it's odor like 17 year old sweaty gym socks off of a putrified corpse, just to get at very little fruit... no matter how good it tastes that is WAY more annoying than a banana.

I mean, even pomegranates are more annoying than a banana.

I want to vomit at the very thought of being in the same room as one of these. I once got off a plane in Indonesia and the airport reaked of durian. The number of people who try to fly with these things is unbelievable.

Can you imagine being stuck on an airplane with one of these for 5 hours?

:sick:

Bankman1989

Yeah I buy a lot of bananas and end up wasting half of them. I love them but I hate them so I feel you!