The Last Banana?

In an effort to continue localizing my diet, I've stopped buying bananas. Well, "stopped" is a pretty strong word...let's just say it's not on my weekly shopping list anymore. Yes, the time has come to consider my banana habit and the economics behind it (check out the Freakonomics blog for a quick overview).

If you think about it, bananas are the slimeball of the fruit world: cheap, easy, and definitely not from around here. Despite this questionable persona, bananas are nearly as American as apple pie. Consider Exhibit A: my mom has a banana hanger sitting on her kitchen counter; it's a wooden stand devoted to nothing else but holding bananas. Needless to say, banana bread constituted 14% of my caloric intake as a child.

I've purchased bananas out of habit, since they are always readily available, so darn easy to eat, and even when overripe you can make good use out of them. Plus, my bulimic college roommate said that potassium is, like, important. However, as I turn to a local diet, I'm now ready to move bananas from the dietary staple to the occasional purchase category. Granted, this is easy to do in the fruit fiesta that is July; ask me about this again in January.

But I still had one lonely brown-spotted Cavendish (the ONLY imported banana variety...how's that for biodiversity?) sitting on my counter. Can. Not. Waste. Food. So, ta-da, banana and blueberry muffins.

Since that poor banana traveled a thousand miles to get in your kitchen, show it some respect by actually eating it. Bananas freeze well. If you have overripe bananas, don't throw them out. Instead, just peel them, toss them in a ziploc bag, and save in the freezer until you are ready for smoothies or a banana muffin party. But when gathering your weekly groceries, always consider the source of your food, and get ready for some good old-fashioned banana inflation.

Gross, that was a sick thought you just had.

Banana Blueberry Muffins

1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

Dash of salt

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup canola oil

2 ripe bananas, mashed

3/4 cup blueberries

In large bowl, combine egg, milk, and oil. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt; stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in banana and blueberries. Spoon into a 12-cup greased muffin pan. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes or until golden.