Once again, my bananas have gone bad. It happens every time. I buy them with the best of
intentions. Even eat them fairly regularly. But since my palate prefers the barely ripe, unscathed
bittersweet to the mushy super sweet of the banana in its spotted pajamas, I can't eat them fast
enough. By the looks of fruit bowls far and wide, I am not alone.
What do we do with our not good enough to eat friends? I made a vow to stop throwing them away.
Of course that has translated into not buying them which, in turn, has translated into not eating
them. Boo Hoo. There must be a better way.
Tried and True
Banana Bread has, for years, been the solution to this age-old problem. If you don't like banana
bread, you could always give it as a gift. It beats chucking them. Besides, nothing tickles a fancy
like goodies from the kitchen. If you don't have enough bananas for bread, collect them in the
freezer. Lord knows there will be more to add in a week or two.
Grandma's Banana Bread
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups sugar
1 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed old bananas
¼ cup plus 1 tbsp. Buttermilk
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 cup chopped walnuts
Mix flour, sugar, baking soda & salt.
In another bowl, combine eggs bananas, oil
buttermilk & vanilla.
Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.
Fold in nuts.
Pour into a well-greased pan (9 x 5 x 3) and
bake at 325 ° for 1 hour and 20 minutes or
until fork comes out clean. Cool on rack
before removing from pan.
Makes 1 loaf
Bright Ideas: My grandmother actually waits until the peels are black before making this bread. She says
it adds to the intense flavor of the bread. It is good.
