There's an easy way to keep bananas fresher for longer (Image: Getty) Bananas are well known for ripening far too quickly, often leaving us with a soft, brown mess if we don't consume them quickly enough. The stems of bananas release a plant hormone known as ethylene gas, which assists the fruit in ripening from firm and green to soft, sweet and yellow. However, this gas also accelerates the ripening process. Other fruits such as apples, avocados, mangos, pears, peaches, and berries also produce ethylene gas. When kept together, the combined gas can cause all your fruit to spoil prematurely. Brenda Anderson, a farmer, cook and founder of Little Lost Creations, however, has an easy solution. She recommends placing ripe bananas in the fridge to maintain their freshness, reports the Liverpool Echo . Brenda said: "A friend of mine told me something she had tried. I thought it sounded a little crazy, but I thought I would give it a try. She said to put the bananas in a brown paper grocery bag closed tightly, and put them in the crisper in the refrigerator. She said the peel would go black but the banana would taste good." Contrary to what many people believe, bananas can in fact be kept in the fridge without deteriorating. The cool temperature may cause the skin to blacken, but this does not mean the fruit within has gone off. In fact, placing a yellow banana in the fridge can stop it from ripening, maintaining its freshness and edibility for weeks following purchase. Brenda recounted her experience: "After two and a half weeks in the crisper in the refrigerator, I took my bananas out to try them. I really wanted to put this method to the test. "The peelings didn't look like the banana was going to taste good but when I peeled the banana it had not gone mushy like I thought it would. It was still firm and tasted just a little riper than when I put them in the brown paper sack." The key to prolonging your bananas' lifespan is stopping ethylene gas from damaging them. This can be done by covering the stem with cling film, which prevents the fruit from producing the gas. Another useful suggestion is to store your bananas away from other fruits. Suspending bananas from a hook above your fruit bowl enables improved air flow, stopping the ethylene gas from having an impact. However, don't worry if your bananas do become mushy - they don't need to go to waste. You can readily turn them into tasty banana bread or prepare some banana and chocolate chip muffins for a delightful treat. Choose Wales Online as a 'Preferred Source' on Google News for quick access to the news you value. At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the "Do Not Sell or Share my Data" button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Terms and Conditions .
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