Bananas

Cooking & Uses

Banana bread was invented during the Great Depression to avoid wasting overripe bananas!

The first banana split was created in 1904 by David Evans Strickler in Pennsylvania!

Green bananas can be made into flour that’s good for people who can’t eat regular flour!

Banana peels can be used as fertilizer for plants!

Some cultures cook and eat the banana flower, which tastes like artichoke!

Banana leaves are used as natural plates in many countries!

You can use mashed bananas instead of eggs in some baking recipes!

Banana peels can be cooked and eaten — they’re full of nutrients!

Some companies make paper from banana plant fibers!

Health & Benefits

Eating a banana can help reduce muscle cramps!

Bananas can help you feel happy because they contain a natural mood-booster called tryptophan!

The potassium in bananas helps keep your heart healthy!

Bananas are one of the first solid foods given to babies because they’re easy to digest!

Athletes often eat bananas during sports because they provide quick energy!

Bananas can help settle an upset stomach!

Eating bananas before bed can help you sleep better!

Bananas are nature’s energy bars — they provide lasting energy without artificial ingredients!

Banana peels can help relieve itchy mosquito bites when rubbed on the skin!

Growing & Environment

Banana plants can grow new plants from their roots, making them practically immortal!

A banana plant needs about 9 months to grow fruit!

Banana plants love hot weather and need lots of sunshine to grow!

Banana plants help prevent soil erosion in tropical areas!

A single banana plant can produce up to 240 bananas!

Banana plants create their own water source by catching morning dew in their large leaves!

Some banana plants are grown just for their decorative flowers!

The Giant Highland Banana (Musa ingens) is the biggest banana plant, growing as tall as 50 feet (15 meters)!

Banana plants communicate with each other through their roots!

Storage & Ripening

Bananas continue to ripen after they’re picked!

You can make bananas ripen faster by putting them in a paper bag with an apple!

Refrigerating ripe bananas makes their peels turn black but keeps the inside fresh longer!

Green bananas can take 4–8 days to ripen at room temperature!

You can freeze ripe bananas for up to six months!

Separating bananas from the bunch makes them ripen more slowly!

The best temperature to store bananas is 60°F (15.5°C)!

Brown spots on bananas mean they’re at their sweetest!

Banana peels change color because of enzymes that break down chlorophyll!

Bananas ripen faster in warm temperatures and slower in cool temperatures!