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

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Replies

  • ReinaJaLaNa
    ReinaJaLaNa Posts: 151 Member
    Yes. That's why I usually only buy 2-3 at a time.

    Kiwi came to my mind first because I like them but when I eat them I get that tingling sensation behind the ears. You know, that feeling you get when you eat something tart and sweet. It's so annoying.

    Red raspberries is another. They go bad in the blink of an eye. I get them home and within a day I see mold starting....irritating!!

    True -- I thought about adding raspberries to the list, but because I haven't had much experience with them -- especially compared to all of the others I mentioned -- I thought I might not yet be quite the fair judge! But yes, the few times I have bought them, that has also been my experience.
  • ReinaJaLaNa
    ReinaJaLaNa Posts: 151 Member
    I really luck out when it comes to bananas. I tend to buy them in a bunch of 6 or so. There's about a 2-3 day range (generally 2 at the moment due to the heat) where I'll eat them and enjoy them. Once they're past where I'll eat them, Bill will continue eating them until they hit the point of banana bread ripeness. If they hit that point, I tend to freeze them until I get 4 and then it's time to make the banana bread.

    That's awesome. I really gotta start freezing the things..

    Oh how many I've wasted in throwing 'em away once they reach that point..lol
  • I read once that if you rinse bananas in cold water, dry them and then seperate them all, they'd last longer.

    I tried it.

    It works. Don't ask me how or why...but I haven't thrown away a rotten banana in the last year.


    *shrugs*
  • 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.
  • ReinaJaLaNa
    ReinaJaLaNa Posts: 151 Member
    I hate bananas. Not because they are annoying but because they taste bad, smell bad and have a bad texture (IMO, of course).

    But I like the term "Goldilocks fruit". I'm totally stealing it.

    For me, the pear is the worst for being Goldilocks. It seems there is a one day window for a pear to be exactly ripe before it goes over the dark (aka mushy) side. But on that one day, it's probably my favorite fruit.

    lol steal away..

    And I cannot beLIEVE you don't like bananas..although you aren't the first person I've met who feels that way.

    When they are just right, they're one of my top favorite fruits -- they are SO..FREAKING...GOOD...when just right, lol

    And I feel you on pears -- I remember years ago, one of my best friends told me her favorite fruit of all time was pears. And a mutual friend and I were both just like :-O :-O :-O :-O :-O :-O !!! We couldn't even believe it. Like, out of ALLL of the wonderful, tasty and juicy fruits out there...a pear?! It just seemed like such a boring choice, lol..and, even more ironic, this friend is far from boring -- she's always been very "colorful", full of energy, and hiLARious.. That might've been why her statement was even more shocking.

    But years later, after personally avoiding them for so long (b/c I had for so long, from childhood, thought they were just a really "meh" -- uninteresting -- fruit), I decided to try 'em again, and I don't know WHAT it was, but I loved it. Totally changed my view on my friend's admission, and I even called (or texted?) her to specifically tell her that and apologize, lol

    However...since then, like you said, I've found pears to be a crap shoot -- when they're good, they're great, and it is indeed a very small window when they're good. Outside of that, they're useless and no wonder why I had deemed them boring for so long!

    But okay, my dissertation on pears is complete :)
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  • ReinaJaLaNa
    ReinaJaLaNa Posts: 151 Member
    I read once that if you rinse bananas in cold water, dry them and then seperate them all, they'd last longer.

    I tried it.

    It works. Don't ask me how or why...but I haven't thrown away a rotten banana in the last year.


    *shrugs*

    TRYING. Thank you!
    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.

    Hmm that sounds pretty oodd, lol, but I'd be willing to try this as well. Just about anything to get my fruit to last!


    So many wonderful and different ideas on this thread -- thanks everyone SO MUCH! I just might cry if, in listening to you guys, I find myself no longer having the "banana issue" from here on out!
  • ReinaJaLaNa
    ReinaJaLaNa Posts: 151 Member
    really, the banana? I would have figured it would be the durian...

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2z14N-pTQhl94M5iutjBifxHfaaPV-PSs3-PSEBobk0xThjMr

    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 don't believe I've ever had the durian..but you know what? Before you even said it and as you were describing frustrations of the durian, I realized I completely forgot to include pomegranates. They are for sure annoying. I still wouldn't say any fruit is, as of now for me, more annoying the banana because...okay, so I know they are crazy-cheap to buy and very easy to peal and eat, but I love them SO much and yet feel like I have to pay very close attention to them to get them when their flavor is JUST RIGHT..and then tend to lose some before it's all said and done due to not eating those before they turn bad.

    So this, my friend, is why they -- for me -- would be granted as Most Annoying ;)
  • Kristy7418
    Kristy7418 Posts: 85
    Wrap like this:

    http://pinterest.com/pin/327073991658229937/

    Not too much longer but a bit. The challenge is getting the bf and 16 year to re-wrap it when they take a banana. lol
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  • kr1stadee
    kr1stadee Posts: 1,774 Member
    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
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    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
    CookNLift Posts: 3,660 Member
    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
    lilRicki Posts: 4,555 Member
    try wrapping the stock (where they all join) tightly with saran wrap. That's supposed to slow the process
  • palmerar
    palmerar Posts: 489 Member
    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
    Susan823 Posts: 18 Member
    I freeze them when they are getting near over ripe and blend them in a protein shakes.
  • Susan823
    Susan823 Posts: 18 Member
    Interesting I will have to try washing the berries
  • xinit0
    xinit0 Posts: 310 Member
    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
    bokchoybaby Posts: 62 Member
    really, the banana? I would have figured it would be the durian...

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2z14N-pTQhl94M5iutjBifxHfaaPV-PSs3-PSEBobk0xThjMr

    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
    MrsDanner78 Posts: 107
    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
    hsmaldo Posts: 115 Member
    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
    monjacq1964 Posts: 291 Member
    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
    NovemberJune Posts: 2,525 Member
    Eat 4 a day and no worries. No more bad bananas! :wink:
  • xFamousLastWordsx
    xFamousLastWordsx Posts: 301 Member
    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
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    http://xkcd.com/388/

    Wrong, it's grapefruit.
  • AlsDonkBoxSquat
    AlsDonkBoxSquat Posts: 6,128 Member
    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
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    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
    lcvaughn520 Posts: 219 Member
    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
    BeachGingerOnTheRocks Posts: 3,927 Member
    really, the banana? I would have figured it would be the durian...

    images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT2z14N-pTQhl94M5iutjBifxHfaaPV-PSs3-PSEBobk0xThjMr

    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
    Bankman1989 Posts: 1,116 Member
    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!