Bananananana Bread

I've been trying to cut down on our garbage output, especially in the form of wasted food. We compost, and we feed scraps to our chickens, and I've been getting better about using leftovers and freezing half of the large batches of food I make so they don't go bad before they're consumed. So I always feel a little twinge of "Yay!" when I use up some food that might have been a garbage can candidate.

Lately I've been freezing bananas when they go a little overripe. I like my bananas in that 24 hour window where they are perfectly yellow and ripe; no astringent taste from the greenness, and yet not at all mushy. (As you might expect, I don't eat many bananas.) My husband and daughter like them a little green. This means that any bananas that pass my threshold of edibility are way past theirs, and therefore go uneaten. The overripe bananas generally occur one a a time, which is too few for use in my recipes, so we used to feed them to the roses, or simply compost them. Then I learned that you can throw an entire unpeeled banana in the freezer and save it for later! When you get adequate amounts, make something!

It's really as easy as throwing the banana in the freezer, no need for a container or wrap. It will turn black and unappealing, and the banana is definitely beyond regular edibility after freezing, but it's still perfectly fine for recipes. To use the bananas in banana bread or smoothies, take out of the freezer and allow to thaw for about 20 minutes. Snip the end off the banana peel, and squeeze from the bottom. The entire banana will slide out of the skin. It's kind of gross, but very convenient and sort of cool too. It's almost pre-mushed!

Banana Bread

* 1 3/4 cup flour
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 2 tsp baking powder
* 1/2 tsp baking soda
* 1/4 tsp salt
* 1 cup mashed bananas
* 1/3 cup softened butter (you can also use margarine or shortening)
* 2 Tbls milk
* 2 eggs (farm fresh if ya got 'em!)
* 1 Tbls cinnamon
* 1 tsp allspice
* 1/2 tsp ginger
* 1/2 tsp nutmeg
* Chopped nuts (optional)

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of loaf pan, set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, plus the sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and mashed bananas. Stir well, then add the butter and milk and beat well with a mixer for 2 minutes. Add eggs and spices, blend well. If desired, add nuts, blend well. Pour into the prepared loaf pan and bake 60 minutes, or until a pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from oven, allow to cool 5 minutes, invert onto rack, and cool thoroughly before slicing.