Canned Bananas

• Peel your bananas and set peels aside for another project.
• Place the banana in a medium sized pot. (it may be easier to mash bananas in a bowl and use measure scoop to gage how much you have to add the lemon juice)
• Mash the bananas and add lemon juice and stir well.
• Turn heat to medium high and heat your banana mixture to an almost boil.
• Add your hot banana mixture to hot sterilized jars, leaving 1/2 inch at top of jar.
• Remove any air bubbles by running a chopstick along the inside of the jar.
• Wipe the rim of each jar with vinegar on a cloth and place your seal on top and add the ring only to finger tight.
• Place your hot jars into your hot water bath canner and bring your water to a boil and allow to boil for 10 mins for 250 ml jars. Make sure each jar is covered by 1 - 2" of water.
• After the time is up turn off the heat and allow the jars to sit in the canner for 5minutes and then remove the jars from water, do not tilt the jars.
• Allow them to sit on the counter undisturbed for 24 hours. After 24 hours check that each jar has sealed, remove the rings and wipe down each jar, label and place your sealed jars in your storage for later use. Use within one year.
• Any unsealed jars can be placed in your fridge and consumed within one week.

To use the banana peels:

• Place the banana peels in a bowl with water and allow to sit for 24 hours to allow the nutrients from the bananas to seep into the water. Remove the peels and compost and use the banana water to water your indoor plants.
• You can also dehydrate the peels and grin them up in a coffee grinder to use as a fertilizer for plants and gardens.
• The peels can be pureed and added to baked goods, boiled to make tea, sliced into fruit smoothies, or chopped and added to savory dishes for a sweet addition.