On the planet, bananas, both organic and inorganic, are among the most consumed crops.
While organic methods rely solely on natural ways to promote plant growth and control predatory insects, these methods historically have used chemical fertilizers and pesticides.
Organic bananas are notoriously difficult to carry and maintain fresh.
They are delicate, soften, and lose their appeal as they ripen.
There are a couple of hypotheses about why organic bananas often last longer.
First, they are typically harvested much green than non-organic bananas, as grocery store owners expect non-organic bananas to sell faster.
Second, Non-organic bananas are sprayed with synthetic ethylene gas to speed ripening. Organic bananas are not. They create ethylene gas as a part of the ripening process.
How Do Organic Bananas Last Longer?
The coloration of organic bananas signifies that they will ripen more slowly than non-organic bananas because of the exogenous ethylene gas given to non-organic bananas to hasten the ripening process.
The organic bananas have been harvested, but when they are placed in a storage area, they have been placed in a cooler area, out of the direct sunlight, and away from other ethylene generating fruits so they do not ripen to quickly.
Bananas which are placed in temperatures of 39° F or below will begin to break down the cells walls of the banana fruit and may turn gray.
There is no ability to spray organic bananas therefore the ripening of organic bananas cannot be quickened with a spray.
Thus, this means that majority of organic bananas in nearby grocery stores just came out of cold storage.
Organic bananas will have a greener close appearance unless they are allowed to ripen naturally.
Non-organic vs Organic: Non-organic bananas treated with ethylene will continue to ripen quickly. Organic bananas and the slower rate of ripening times will generally remain much longer.
How to Make Organic Bananas Last Longer
Before You Buy, Double-check
Even if you are tempted to pick up perfectly ripe, yellow bananas at the grocery, opt for green bananas or even greenish-yellow bananas instead.
Bananas ripen fast and they do not stay good for long.
Organic bananas that are green at the ends and slightly yellow in the center are visually representative of bananas that are somewhat under-ripe.
Investigate that there are not brown spots or other imperfections on the bananas. Bruises and punctures expose the banana to the air and speed up the ripening process.
Green organic bananas, such as those with green tips or a combination of yellow and green surface, will ripen within a few days and there is extra time to put your bananas to use.
Ripe bananas must be used or eaten within three days of your purchase, so even with the green bananas you will have extra time to properly store them before they ripen.
Remove the Bag and Separate Them from Other Ripe Fruits
Some utilize brown paper or plastic bags that are also closed to store fruits and vegetables.
When you place organic bananas into a bag, they will ripen only faster. They cause ethylene gas to accumulate in the bag. Ethylene is a gas secreted by a banana to ripen itself.
Most of us use the bag to protect the fruit and vegetables from bugs and other diseases. In some cases that may work, but in fact, it will not work with the banana.
Keep the bananas away from the other fruit and vegetables. The ethylene gas is airborne and is usually produced by other fruits.
When you put your bananas beside the other fruit (remember they also branded) they are absorbing the ethylene from other fruit along with their own ethylene gas, and ultimately the bananas are going to go brown much faster than other fruit.
Ethylene helps with fruit maturity and abscission.
A cautionary note: be very careful with any fruit and vegetables that are already brown, they produce but I digress, sorry! very much more ethylene. This is a shame for the bananas and is not a good thing, they simply are not as long lasting, and that is awful.
Hang Your Organic Bananas
Bananas often get jostled about and moved too much when in bowls, but the best way to get your organic bananas to last longer is to hang them up.
Hanging your bananas also means that they will be exposed to less air and ethylene (molecules that cause browning and speed up the ripening process).
Wrap the Stems
Once you get organic bananas from the grocery store you’ve most likely noticed they come in a bunch and that they are wrapped with plastic wrap around the stem.
If you buy organic bananas that are pre-wrapped, leave them wrapped.
The bulk of the ethylene gas emitted by the bananas came from the stems. If your banana stem is not wrapped, you should wrap them with plastic wrap.
If you don’t have plastic wrap, foil will also work.
Why you want to wrap the stem of your organic bananas:
- To stop the ethylene created from the stem, from traveling down to the banana and ripening it.
- It prevents ethylene from being absorbed into the bananas through the stems, which could be in the air from other fruits.
- It helps keep your banana nice and fresh as well as helps keep the banana’s texture.
Any time you take a banana from the bunch, you must wrap it back up gently so the bananas will last longer.
Separate and Wrap Individually
While wrapping a cluster of banana stems is helpful, ethylene may still leak out because there is space between the stems.
Crowded bananas create and absorb more ethylene, all leading to browning and overripeness.
Here’s what you can do!
- If you would like them to last as long as possible, wrap the stem of each banana individually in plastic wrap or foil, or just about anything that covers the stem tightly enough to keep ethylene from getting to the fruit.
- Keeping the bananas separate, and covering their stems, guarantees the longest and freshest experience while maintaining the ripened banana’s texture as nice as it was the day it ripened. The good news is, when you unwrap and eat the bananas, you don’t need to remove the wrap from the stems.
- You can eat the bananas from the other side, while holding in your hand the wrapped stem.
Keep Ripe Bananas Refrigerated
You can slow down the ripening process of organic bananas by simply putting them in the refrigerator.
So, if you are not going to eat your ripe bananas right away, put them in a plastic bag, seal the bag, and put it in the fridge.
Also, be sure to take them out of the fridge for a few hours before snacking on them, and let them come back to room temperature before enjoying! Ripe bananas can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a week.
Entirely Black Skin
Don’t panic when your banana skin turns fully black; it will, most likely, get to that point.
It’s just that the peeling pigment is black and has nothing to do with the ripeness of the banana. The banana is still going to taste good with some firmness.
Ripe organic bananas can last about 5 to 7 days in the fridge.
Alternatively, if you want to reduce the blackness of the peel, simply put the bananas in a plastic bag, or sprinkle some lemon juice on them before you store them in the refrigerator.
What Not to Do: Don’t refrigerate really green, unripe bananas, because you’ll disrupt the ripening enzymes and the bananas will just remain that way.
Final Thought
If you have ever purchased organic bananas, you have probably noticed that they don’t spoil as quickly as conventional bananas. You may feel this is strange.
After all, the general view among the majority of the public is that food with high shelf life contains synthetic preservatives and additives.
To make things worse, unripe organic bananas will last longer than ripe organic bananas.
If there are bruises, dark spots, blemishes, and/or puncture marks on the exterior of the bananas, this will accelerate the ripening process.
You should not store Organic bananas in a sealed bag.
The ethylene hormone will not be able to escape the air surrounding the bananas, causing the bananas to brown more quickly, therefore, shortening their shelf life.