- First mash your bananas. Bananas are a very dense food so it is necessary to mash them and make certain that they are heated through. I use a blender to mash mine, but a potato masher or a food processor would work as well. Just be certain that the bananas are well mashed and there are not many large clumps left.
- Pour the mashed bananas into a large pot along with citric acid or lemon juice. I put 1 tablespoon of citric acid or lemon juice per quart to prevent browning and to add acidity.
- Heat the mixture on medium high heat and stir frequently. You’re going to want to heat them to the point just before the mixture starts to boil. (Since it’s a dense mixture, you’ll have some “popping” of the mixture. This is the time that you really want to be sure to stir the mixture so that you distribute the heat equally throughout the mix.
- Pour the mixture into unquestionably clean, sterilized, hot jars. Fill the jars of choice leaving a half inch head on them from the top of the jar. Top them with clean, sterilized lids and screw the rings on to “fingertip tight”.
- Water bathe quart jars for 15 minutes and pints for 10 minutes. (I prefer to use pints as that amount is more realistic for my other recipes in which I would use the bananas.)
I have had no problems using the canned bananas. The only issue
that I have had is that the longer they are kept, some browning does
occur at the top of the jar. I usually take off the really brown
portion off of the top of the jar and discard it just like I would a
brown spot on a banana. Also, when the jars have been stored for a
couple of years, some separation does occur with liquid forming on the
bottom of the jar. I simply stir the mixture together and use as
normal.
Happy Canning!
How can you use canned bananas? Lots of great ways. Pancakes, banana syrup, cakes, muffins, bread, smoothie sweetener and flavors, and it also makes a delicious frozen treat if you’ve got access to that in a crisis scenario.
(Excerpt from article on PreparednessPro.com)
