Following on from the soggy apples earlier in the month, I have some VERY brown bananas sat on my kitchen counter at the moment.

I bought them a few weeks ago to make a loaf of banana bread for my friend’s birthday but they were under-ripe when I bought them and my banana bread always works best with slightly over-ripe ‘nanas (great for using them up once they’re just past eating-raw best) so I left them to ripen. Then I didn’t end up seeing my friend when I thought I would and got distracted by the billion other things going on in my life at the moment and so the banana bread never got made.

I think they’re past the eating point now - even in bread form - but I’m still keen to use them. Like with the apples, I know they can be mixed with honey & oatmeal to make a facemask, or with cream (or yoghurt) & a little honey to make a hair conditioner.

But any other suggestions what I can do with the remaining couple once I’m pampered to oblivion? And any natty suggestions for using the peels?

(Photo by pzado - mine are considerably browner than these!)

We’ve had an email from Katie Beedham, saying:

I found some old apples at the back of my fridge today. They haven’t gone off, but they’re not crunchy enough to eat raw. I was wondering if anyone had any ideas what I can use slightly soft apples for?

My immediate thought was “apple pie?” but I know nothing of the way of the fruit since I don’t partake and for all I know you might need really fresh apples for that.

As for non-culinary uses, if you have oily skin, you can use apples to make a facemask: most guides, like this one suggest mixing some grated apple with honey, and maybe a little oatmeal for a bit of exfoliation, then slapping it on your face for ten minutes or so, then rinse it off with cool water.

I also have a feeling they’re useful for making some sort of metal sparkly clean but the computer manufacturer is hogging all searches - anyone know if they can be used for household cleaning?

And what about other suggestions?

(Photo by darotyka)

When we get together with our friends, we’re just about the wildest, craziest group of trendy 20-somethings you’re ever likely to meet.

We’re so wild in fact that the other night some of us had MORE THAN ONE LOLLIPOP while we were sat around chatting. (I stuck to one because I don’t want to develop an addiction - it was very nice and orangey though).

By the end of the night, there was a small pile of plastic lolly sticks on the table and I wondered “how can I reuse or recycle them?”

So how can I reuse or recycle them? For those that aren’t as wild as us lollipop-heads, they’re a thin, cylindrical tube of plastic about 6cm (3inches) long and just a couple of millimetres in diameter. I guess they’re similar to plastic Q-tip/cotton bud sticks.

(Photo by Bubbels)

Ok, since you guys were so great coming up with ideas for lettuce last month, here’s a related one: cucumber.

Like with the lettuce, we don’t eat enough salad to get through a whole cucumber before it goes mushy and horrible - we find it pretty hard to even get through a half-cucumber unless we’re on an utter salad binge.

So once we’ve eaten our fill of it, what else can we do with it? There is the cliche cucumber-on-eye thing I guess and I have a suspicion you can use them in face masks - but any more concrete ideas?

(Photo by woodsy)

We’ve had an email from Barb, asking:

Hi, I have about two pounds of vegetable shortening I bought last year and didn’t use up that is out of date now and a tad rancid. Does anyone know how this can be reused or recycled? It has been sitting on the kitchen counter for days while I tried to devise a way to reuse it.

Because it’s just a fat, I think you can use it as a general lubricant - and there seems to be a number of household uses for it if it’s not utterly rancid.

Apparently, it can be used to remove tar or lipstick from clothes, ink from hands or surfaces, protect and revitalise wooden balls & chopping boards, help nappy rash, stop snow sticking to a shovel and - something we all need to do constantly - make clown make-up.

You can also apparently use it as an, ahem, personal lubricant but be aware that like Vaseline and all oil-based lubricants, it shouldn’t be used with condoms as it can cause the latex to degrade.

Any other suggestions?