With the arrival of autumn, fruit shops fill their shelves with seasonal products such as tangerines, grapes, pears, apples, persimmons, and pomegranates. These fruits, along with others consumed throughout the year, allow for the incorporation of different flavors and nutrients into the daily diet. Maintaining a varied diet, combining different types of fruits and vegetables, is one of the usual recommendations for taking care of one's health and maintaining balanced eating habits.
Each fruit has different characteristics. Citrus fruits, such as oranges and tangerines, stand out for their vitamin C content, while apples and pears provide fiber. Grapes, for their part, contain water and various plant compounds, and bananas are a source of carbohydrates and potassium. Alternating these options throughout the week helps avoid a monotonous diet and facilitates the consumption of different nutrients. Furthermore, choosing seasonal products can be a good way to vary the menu and take advantage of foods available at each time of year.
To answer these questions, José Luis Caro, a second-generation fruit seller and manager of The Fruits of the World, a fruit shop located in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid).
Who is José Luis Caro?
José Luis Caro is a second-generation fruit seller and is at the helm of The Fruits of the World, an establishment located in Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid). Through the social media of @thefruitsoftheworld, he shares tips related to the preservation of fruits and vegetables, with the aim of teaching his followers how to keep food in better condition and use it for longer.
In his publications, Caro explains some of the most common mistakes made when storing food at home and proposes simple solutions that can be applied daily. His videos bring fruit shop knowledge to the public and offer practical recommendations to reduce food waste, especially when it comes to fresh products that ripen quickly.
One of the tips is related to bananas, one of the fruits whose appearance changes most easily during ripening. The fruit seller recommends storing them in a tupperware in the fridge, with absorbent paper at the bottom and the container closed. As he explains, this method can help preserve them for about seven or eight days, although the result depends on the degree of ripeness of the fruit and the storage conditions.
The method to preserve them for longer
José Luis Caro's proposal requires few materials and can be applied in any kitchen. The procedure starts with a simple gesture: cutting the ends of the bananas and placing them inside a plastic container. Before closing the container, the fruit seller recommends adding absorbent paper at the bottom, with the aim of controlling any moisture that may accumulate.
Once prepared, the bananas should be stored in the fridge inside the container. If the tupperware does not have a lid, the alternative is to cover it with plastic wrap to seal it. As the fruit seller himself explains in his videos, this method allows the fruit to be preserved for approximately seven or eight days in good condition, although the result may vary depending on the degree of ripeness at which they were purchased.
The change in color of the banana is part of its natural ripening process. This fruit continues to ripen after being harvested, and during that process, the starch in its pulp transforms into sugars, which explains why it gains sweetness and acquires a softer texture. Ethylene, a gas naturally produced by bananas and other fruits such as apples and avocados, is involved in this process. Its presence favors ripening, so temperature and proximity to other foods can influence how quickly the fruit changes its appearance.
How to use ripe bananas
Brown spots on the skin do not by themselves indicate that the banana can no longer be consumed. If the pulp is still in good condition, ripe fruit can be used in sweet recipes without needing to add as much sugar. If it won't be eaten in time, there is also the option to peel it, cut it into pieces, and freeze it to use later in smoothies, homemade ice creams, or baking. When the product is in these situations, they can be used to make smoothies, to provide texture and natural sweetness, cakes, as a base for juicier doughs, pancakes, as an ingredient for breakfasts and snacks, and even freeze them in pieces, to use them later in different preparations.
