As a banana gets old, the skin will get thinner. It will turn black and oily looking. At this point, the fruit inside will have soft bruised spots and will break apart easily. At this point, the best choice for Mr. Banana is not to throw him away, but to bake him into bread.

Banana bread is the best specialty bread I know. Even when I wasn’t in love with the banana, I was in love with banana bread. My mother told me that the best banana bread is made with overripe bananas. When the skin starts to turn black and the stem won’t hold the banana anymore, they are ready to use. Bananas in this stage are very sweet. You don’t need very much sugar for your bread mixture.

Bananas are sliced up on cold and hot cereal as well as in yogurt and on bread with some mayonnaise (a Southern thing!). They work as a dessert too. Ever had a banana split? Find new uses for those more than ripe bananas.

Bananas are one of the most widely eaten fruits. They are easy to handle, go anywhere, and kids love them. I never used to like bananas when I was a child, but I have found a new appreciation for them as an adult.

I remember that commercial with the girl who had the basket of fruit on her head. It was a commercial for Chiquita bananas. Bananas are portrayed as a food for monkeys and other primates, but humans love them too. They are filled with much needed potassium and not too sweet.

Bananas are available year round. They are imported from South America to the United States. Bananas are yellow in color and come in bunches. A fully yellow banana is ripe for eating. If you don’t plan on eating the entire bunch in the next few days, consider buying a bunch of bananas that is at least half green. The bananas will continue to ripen in your kitchen.

I never met a strawberry that I didn’t like. Those fuzzy little fruits are delightful all by themselves. Picking them can be a chore, but you can avoid this by heading to the grocery store or your local farmer’s market.

You can get strawberries year round from several places that import them. Their season is April to July. So, they are ready to pick now. Strawberry picking is a favorite pastime that has been observed in my family since I was a young girl. Back then, I used to go with my grandmother each year and get buckets full of the succulent sweets. Now, my sisters and I still keep the tradition going.

When choosing a strawberry, be sure to check for an even color. Ripe strawberries are shiny and bright red. If the tips are white, they are not quite ripe enough to pick. If they are green, don’t bother picking them from the vine. You won’t have the opportunity to use the same criteria for strawberries at the farmer’s market because they will already be packaged into pints or quarts. Hopefully the picker has done their homework and picked some good ones.

I pick at least fifteen pounds of strawberries each time I go. I want to make sure that there are enough to last, well, a long time. Of course I can’t keep fifteen pounds of strawberries on the counter or in the refrigerator for very long. We eat plenty covered with sugar and in strawberry lemonade, but more will be left.

The primary use for watermelons is as a sliced snack. Cut the watermelon in half and slice into wedges for easy eating. I loved watermelon as a kid but hated to keep spitting out the seeds. It would ruin my eating experience. But, you can also choose seedless varieties and avoid that annoying spitting habit. The little white soft seeds can be eaten and most are because they don’t crunch when you bite into them.

So, the watermelon is getting older and you aren’t interested in eating too much more as it is. Cube some of that watermelon and mix with mango, onion, and some cilantro to make a salsa side to complement your meat dish at dinnertime. Use more of that cubed watermelon for fruit and green salads.

Even the rind of the watermelon can be used. Since the watermelon is technically a member of the gourd family like the cucumber, you can add some spices and pickle the rind. Pickled rind can be eaten by itself or used as a garnish.

Every part of your watermelon can be used. This year, you won’t have anything to throw away but the seeds.