Good Morning and welcome to the March edition of my Green Kitchen…my happy place where I cook from scratch and avoid anything with hormones and chemicals in it..I also hate waste, especially now prices are rising around the world in stores PLUS energy costs are on the increase…it is also hot here so I spend as little time as I can in the kitchen unless it is absolutely necessary… I do this by planning and batch cooking…

I’m starting with bananas today as they are universally popular around the world here they are everywhere and cheap as chips grown in many people’s gardens or on scraps of land…A single banana is called a finger. A grouping of attached “fingers” make up a “hand” of bananas which is how I purchased them when I lived in the UK generally complete with a plastic bag…Now I sometimes wake up and find multiple hands (on my doorstep) these grow in a cluster and are called a bunch or stalk—a bunch of bananas may contain 3 to 20 hands!

Just like these...this means I have to think of what to make with green bananas and plan what I can make with bananas at every stage of ripening…Green Banana Koftas are one of our favourites they are delicious.

You will know of course if you’ve ever been to the supermarket and bought a bunch of bananas,  just how quickly they seem to go from green and unripe to brown and squishy in just a matter of days…When you don’t eat the bunch fast enough, it seems like no time at all before you’re having to throw out the bananas – contributing to the 920,000 bananas that the UK wastes every day…that figure horrifies me…I never ever waste a banana…

First things first one thing you should never do if you want your bananas to stay fresh is to keep them in a plastic bag, as that will only make them ripen faster.

Like many fruits, bananas produce ethylene gas, and if they remain in a sealed bag, this gas will build up and will ripen the bananas faster than if they were allowed to breathe outside of a bag at room temperature and away from any moisture, sunlight and overly warm temperatures whilst ripening. Anywhere too warm will speed up the ripening process, so avoid keeping them near ovens or warm appliances.”

Separating bananas from the bunch can help prolong their lives, as well as wrapping just the stem of each banana in cling film or foil – as this is where the gas is released from…If you don’t want to split your bananas up, you can use a banana tree hanger, which you can use to hang up your bunch of bananas to encourage air circulation and help slow down ripening.

As you can imagine one of those would, of course, be of little use to me… once your fruit has ripened to perfection, or is overripe think Banana Bread or Banana Bread Tatin…some delicious banana and coffee scones you will love these…or just freeze them then you can have banana bread or a Banana Espresso Smoothie whenever you fancy…

Did you know?

You can clean your counters and hand-wash dishes with white vinegar and baking soda 

White Vinegar and Baking Soda is a great alternative for cleaning and it’s eco-friendly…I even use it as a drain cleaner the above link gives 12 ways you can use these 2 everyday ingredients in your home…

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Often when I am listening to podcasts and interviews I hear the same thing…especially when contributions are required for a cause like Global Warming I hear lower-income countries when they query contributions of other developed countries like the US…and it’s very true that larger developed countries do contribute far more to the global warming crisis than lower-income countries and should bear a  bigger cost …this is highlighted in this example…

Did you know? US fridges use 3 x more electricity per year than the average usage in Nigeria…this example used Walmarts “best selling” fridge.

• Electricity demand in 2021 for the US per Capita was 12,440 Kwh.
• The world average per Capita is 3,529 kWh.
• Walmart “Best Seller Fridge (US) 493 kWh.
• Nigeria’s per Capita is 150 kWh.

There is a stark difference and in my mind, lower-income families should not be paying as much as developed countries which contribute far more to the problems of global warming…it also begs the question of why manufacturers are not producing products that are lowering the kWh per capita.

So please if you are considering replacing appliances in your kitchen then look at whether a repair is cost-effective..If not and the time has come to get rid of an old appliance, note that many communities have take-back programs, helping you to properly dispose of these things, which likely contain hazardous chemicals and materials…

Look for the Energy Star rating, available for kitchen appliances including stoves, refrigerators, freezers, and dishwashers, then choose a sturdy model that will last and choose a simple design you don’t need an internet connection on your oven. ..did I truly read that correctly?

If you are getting a new fridge think small… Know your produce and your food by that I mean some foods not only taste better but last longer when not stored in the fridge…

Fruit, for example, goes rotten much faster in the fridge because the ethylene gas it lets off as it ripens gets trapped in the fridge. Buying a smaller fridge and putting less in it saves you lots of energy and saves your food too!

Podcasts are getting very popular now and no I will probably not be doing my own…however, I love to listen to them I find them quite relaxing and great if you are working about or even out on a walk or a jog…

Episode 13: Endless Shrimp

I absolutely love prawns/shrimp…but I am also very aware that not all farming methods are good for the shrimp or for us…but if you have a local supplier then hang on to them as they are like gold dust…my mother would never have entertained buying fish on the internet however it is becoming more popular particularly given the covid pandemic…plus if it was frozen when caught it should be top-notch…These Community Supported Fisheries Prove Seafood can be Local too…

Thank you for joining me today in my Green Kitchen…as always I look forward to your comments and any tips you have for creating a greener kitchen I am happy to share xx