Tap Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 3 weeks ago I bought two bags of organic bananas at Costco. They are still completely grass green! They are still in their original plastic bags, stems are looking bad, and they are getting random spots. Dh is going to return them tomorrow. (I haven't bought any there since buying them, so they will know the latest possible purchase date). Anyone else ever have bananas that just won't ripen? We have gone through many bunches since then, and most are brought home in various shades of green. I often buy 6+lbs at a time and buy them once or twice a week. No other bananas are struggling to ripen, just these two bags. They are stored near apples (seems to ripen them faster) and left in their bags to trap their natural gasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) We have found that organic bananas usually look unripe on the outside when they're perfect for eating, and by the time they look ripe they're ready for banana bread. Edited June 2, 2017 by Amy in NH 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Yes. Only the ones in plastic bags from Aldi. They just stay green and hard and rot. No in between. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rdj2027 Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Yes, I quit buying green bananas as it happened on various occasions. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Yes. Only the ones in plastic bags from Aldi. They just stay green and hard and rot. No in between. Yep..same here. I no longer buy them at Aldi because this happens every time. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
greenbeanmama Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I've had that happen with Costco bananas too - once they start spotting (the very first indication of spots!), we eat them, even though they are still green. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CT Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 It may be the bags. My mom has one of those "slow down how fast they ripen" bags, and not infrequently they seem to go from green to rotten. In nature bananas probably have a bit more air circulation... Next time maybe do an experiment, keep some in the bags and leave some out on the counter and see what happens? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Take the plastic off the cut end (the stem it's called I guess?) when you get them home. One of the tricks to keep bananas from ripening is to put plastic on the end. It's part of how they keep them from spoiling during shipping and helps at home if you have a bunch you want to keep from going overly ripe, but I've read if you leave the plastic on green you can have happen what you're describing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Take the plastic off the cut end (the stem it's called I guess?) when you get them home. One of the tricks to keep bananas from ripening is to put plastic on the end. It's part of how they keep them from spoiling during shipping and helps at home if you have a bunch you want to keep from going overly ripe, but I've read if you leave the plastic on green you can have happen what you're describing. I've always done this. The ones from Aldi never get ripe. I don't know why, but yep. Never...ever....They go from green to green and rotten. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) Organic bananas are not treated with ripening chemicals as non organic bananas are. Some relevant info: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/food/we-like-bananas-to-be-bright-yellow-whats-up-with-the-dull-organic-ones/2015/11/03/144ab8aa-827a-11e5-9afb-0c971f713d0c_story.html Edited June 2, 2017 by maize 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
emmaluv+2more Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) I had 1 bunch ever do this. Local grocery store, no plastic bag, treated the same way I treat every bunch I buy. My mom also had it happen once recently, but never prior. Neither were organic. Edited June 2, 2017 by emmaluv+2more Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JustEm Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 We had this problem with the bananas from Giant. They weren't organic or in any bagging. It happened enough that we no longer buy bananas there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AFwife Claire Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Haha, this is totally why I never buy Costco bananas anymore! It's happened several times to me. Frustrating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeWillSoar Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I had that happen with Aldi organic bananas once. I ended up throwing them away. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoobie Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 Yes, it happened with the same Costco ones before. They never turned yellow and rotted. It was very weird. The next time they were doing the same thing, so I roasted them and made a huge bunch of banana bread. And stopped buying green Costco bananas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gstharr Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 (edited) Try placing them in brown paper bag with an apple, or two. . Roll bag shut, but not air tight. sit on counter for a couple of days. ETA. I did this when I had an banana tree. The fruit from that tree would never ripen otherwise. Edited June 2, 2017 by gstharr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gardenmom5 Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 yes - dh bought some super green bananas one time - they never turned yellow. they did get icky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Insertcreativenamehere Posted June 2, 2017 Share Posted June 2, 2017 I wonder if they were kept in too low of a temperature at some point, and if that stops the ripening process. When I was a young and naive college student, I put some bananas in the fridge because I thought they'd keep better that way. The same thing happened. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ILiveInFlipFlops Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Try peeling one first. We had the same thing happen with Costco bananas, until finally one day DD said, "I don't care, I'm going to eat one." And when she opened it, it was perfectly ripe. They never did turn yellow. I buy organic bananas all over the place, and that has only ever happened with the Costco bananas. It's so weird! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tangerine Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I can barely even stand this thread, as unripe bananas absolutely make me cringe. Like the feeling of the peel if you try to peel it, and the weird astringent quality if you bite into a really green banana. Ugh! But yes. I've had this happen. It's memorable to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Katy Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I no longer buy organic bananas for this reason, and I also remove the plastic from all of them as soon as I get home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
samba Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Yep, the Aldi bananas never ripened. Sounds like I'm not the only one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TX Native Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 (edited) Haven't read the other replies-but yes, twice- the organic from Costco about 2-3 months ago and a large bunch from Trader Jo's a few years ago. All other times buying the same thing from both places, they have been fine. I took the bunches back to both places on my next regular shopping trip. TJ's staff said they knew about the bad batch as other customers had returned theirs. Costco staff said they didn't have any other returns on the bananas but mine-I think people just didn't bother with a $2 return. I only bothered because I was going anyway. ETA: just skimmed a couple replies and the ones from TJs were not organic and not bagged. Edited June 3, 2017 by TX native Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mabelen Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I had it happen once with Costco bananas. I returned them. I work close to one, so I end up there at least once a week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 OT: I have never seen bananas in plastic. Ever. What is with that? It goes against everything I thought I knew about bananas. Don't put them in plastic; don't put them in the fridge; if it's cold outside, put them in a paper bag to prevent freezing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 I checked the bananas today. They are still the same dark green and not changing. (We buy organic all the time, I know they don't get bright yellow, but these are grass green!) They are getting a few black sores on them. Not just banana freckels, actual black divots that look bad. The skin isn't softening up, it is still hard and now almost leathery, and starting to dry up an get wrinkled. Very odd. The stems are looking like they are getting moldy/rotten. They don't smell like ripe bananas. I have tried the 'leave one bunch out of the plastic and one bunch in plastic', like another poster suggested in the past. The ones in the bag ripened way faster than the ones out of the bag, but they did finally ripen. Dh will take them back tomorrow. He is going anyways, so as long as the return line is short, he will get the credit and buy more. I think we will just need to make sure in the future that there is at lease a smidge of yellow-potential on them. LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tap Posted June 3, 2017 Author Share Posted June 3, 2017 OT: I have never seen bananas in plastic. Ever. What is with that? It goes against everything I thought I knew about bananas. Don't put them in plastic; don't put them in the fridge; if it's cold outside, put them in a paper bag to prevent freezing. They sell them in plastic, because they are a premeasured amount. Costco doesn't sell them buy the pound. You get a bag that is about 2 to 3 pounds. (I think there is less in the organic bunch than non-organic). They are special bags with holes to provide ventilation. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foxbridgeacademy Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I had the bananas from Aldi do it too but only the 1X when I left them in the bag, no problems if I take them out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 Yep, the Aldi bananas never ripened. Sounds like I'm not the only one. I keep meaning to complain to them about it. They are so annoying when you complain to them though. At one point they wanted me to call them on the phone (I had sent a complaint on-line and included my e-mail). I was like..I'm not calling them. Give me a break. I had nothing much to say. Just the thing I complained about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SparklyUnicorn Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I checked the bananas today. They are still the same dark green and not changing. (We buy organic all the time, I know they don't get bright yellow, but these are grass green!) They are getting a few black sores on them. Not just banana freckels, actual black divots that look bad. The skin isn't softening up, it is still hard and now almost leathery, and starting to dry up an get wrinkled. Very odd. The stems are looking like they are getting moldy/rotten. They don't smell like ripe bananas. I have tried the 'leave one bunch out of the plastic and one bunch in plastic', like another poster suggested in the past. The ones in the bag ripened way faster than the ones out of the bag, but they did finally ripen. Dh will take them back tomorrow. He is going anyways, so as long as the return line is short, he will get the credit and buy more. I think we will just need to make sure in the future that there is at lease a smidge of yellow-potential on them. LOL Yep, I noticed this exact same thing when they didn't ripen. They go from green to rotten. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluemongoose Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 This happened to me with Costco ones and a local store once too. The local store is big on it's produce and produce knowledge so I asked them. They said if a batch gets frozen or too cold it will never ripen. They said sometimes that happens before it is delivered to the store and then they won't know it is a problem until people start returning them. This store says they pull the batch when they know...I'm guessing other stores bank on people not making the effort to bring them back. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arctic Bunny Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 They sell them in plastic, because they are a premeasured amount. Costco doesn't sell them buy the pound. You get a bag that is about 2 to 3 pounds. (I think there is less in the organic bunch than non-organic). They are special bags with holes to provide ventilation.Huh! Apparently I've never even *looked* at bananas at Costco... but I will next time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riverland Posted June 3, 2017 Share Posted June 3, 2017 I've not had this happen with bananas, but I do have the same problem with kiwis bought at Costco. I've had big plastic containers of them that never moved past rock hard. Now I never buy kiwis without making sure they are slightly soft. My guess is that they were picked too soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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