So, okay, we all know to make banana bread with bruised bananas, but I recently thought of another way to use them.
Recently I was in my local small grocery store and I noticed a box of REALLY bruised bananas. Bruised isn't even the word, they were all pretty much black. I suppose some might be brave enough to make banana bread from them, but I would hesitate. So I see a sign on them that says FREE. Now, I have a REALLY difficult time walking away from anything free. So I'm standing there trying to come up with a use for them. Then I thought of it.
I grabbed two big bagfuls to the cashiers dismay and brought them home and mashed them in a large bowl, which was really easy considering how soggy they were. Then I added some mixed bird seed, mixed nuts (the ones leftover after I pick my favorites out), sunflower seed, and dried cranberries that I had sitting around too long. I added some whole wheat flour and a box of Jiffy corn bread mix. No eggs, no milk or water. The mooshed bananas were plenty of moisture.
I filled three big cake pans and baked them. I deliberately over baked them so the cakes would come out somewhat crunchy. I broke one small enough to put into my suet feeder in place of a suet cake, and I crumbled the rest up in large chunks and crumbs.
Well, they love it. The woodpeckers go crazy at the "suet" cake and all the other birds eat the chunks & crumbles. Now every week I take the free bananas and make "my" backyard birds creative breads using whatever other things I have on hand, and I feel happy that I put use to the old bananas and that I feed the birds in the process. Saves me a lot of money on bird seed! Plus, I get to compost the peels.
Just thought I would share this in case anyone else wants to get creative with old bananas!
Recently I was in my local small grocery store and I noticed a box of REALLY bruised bananas. Bruised isn't even the word, they were all pretty much black. I suppose some might be brave enough to make banana bread from them, but I would hesitate. So I see a sign on them that says FREE. Now, I have a REALLY difficult time walking away from anything free. So I'm standing there trying to come up with a use for them. Then I thought of it.
I grabbed two big bagfuls to the cashiers dismay and brought them home and mashed them in a large bowl, which was really easy considering how soggy they were. Then I added some mixed bird seed, mixed nuts (the ones leftover after I pick my favorites out), sunflower seed, and dried cranberries that I had sitting around too long. I added some whole wheat flour and a box of Jiffy corn bread mix. No eggs, no milk or water. The mooshed bananas were plenty of moisture.
I filled three big cake pans and baked them. I deliberately over baked them so the cakes would come out somewhat crunchy. I broke one small enough to put into my suet feeder in place of a suet cake, and I crumbled the rest up in large chunks and crumbs.
Well, they love it. The woodpeckers go crazy at the "suet" cake and all the other birds eat the chunks & crumbles. Now every week I take the free bananas and make "my" backyard birds creative breads using whatever other things I have on hand, and I feel happy that I put use to the old bananas and that I feed the birds in the process. Saves me a lot of money on bird seed! Plus, I get to compost the peels.
Just thought I would share this in case anyone else wants to get creative with old bananas!
Lucky birds!
I've also used those little Table Talk Pie tins which looked really cute, but now the amount of birds I have coming have required me to make larger batches. 
