http://www.lifehacker.com.au/tags/fruit/ Photo by: Lifehacker

If you’re like most working families, there isn’t opportunity to go grocery shopping several times in the week to keep your options optimal. This rings especially true for fresh fruit. While most fruit can stay fresh in the fridge longer, produce like bananas, will often turn brown before the week’s end. This will only become a battle between you and your toddler on whether or not it’s okay to eat a bruised banana (*toddlers may be substituted for child-like spouses*).

Most of us buy bananas either green, or just ripened for eating. Much like avocados, they have a small window before they’re over-ripe and no longer suited for anything but banana bread (or this other crafty trick). Thankfully there’s a little known trick to extending the life of your bananas and surprisingly enough, it’s with duct tape. By taking a square of duct tape, cover the top of the banana bunch (where the stems all come together). Try and seal out as much air bubbles as possible. Then, take another piece of duct tape (longer this time) and wrap around that same area, sealing it tight. What happens here is the tape blocks the escape of ethylene gas, the same gas that when released from the bananas into the air, causes them to ripen. By preventing its escape, you therefore keep your bananas fresh for longer. In fact, it’s been shown to keep them yellow for a whole week if not more. Here’s a great video to learn more.