The Two Fruits You Should Never Store Together

Apples and bananas — icons of the fruit basket, superstars of the school lunch box — are not the most compatible pair. That’s because bananas are one of the biggest emitters of ethylene, a natural plant hormone that accelerates the ripening of many fruits. While this can advantageous in the case of fruits you want to eat as soon as possible; it’s less optimal if you’re trying to keep a basket of just-ripe peaches from turning to mush. Apples also produce ethylene, so storing them alongside bananas may speed up the ripening of both fruits. So what’s a fruit lover to do? Wrap bananas in foil or plastic wrap to slow the ripening. You can also hang bananas from a designated banana stand to allow air to circulate around the fruit. Green bags can also slow down ripening by controlling ethylene. Now for the real shocker: You may have heard that storing bananas in the refrigerator will cause them to turn brown. The truth is that the peel may quickly turn brown or black, but a ripe banana’s flesh can remain usable. Note that only ripe bananas should be put in the refrigerator, as green bananas may not ripen properly at refrigerator temperatures.

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Novel Career Choice

Most of us have had a go at building sandcastles at some point in our lives, but our creations probably amounted to little more than a few stacked buckets of sand. For sculptor Janel Hawkins, however, sandcastle building has become a career. She creates elaborate sculptures in all shapes and sizes, and even hosts sand-building classes and events on beaches across Alabama and Florida. Hawkins began making sand sculptures while in college and, over time, honed her skills and gained enough experience to launch her own company, Sand Castle University, in 2017. Today, the business employs a team of five expert instructors and creates custom sand sculptures for events, from architectural forms to company logos.

 

 

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Swapping These Household Products Can Save You Thousands

Single-use products are convenient, but they come with a high cost — to the tune of hundreds or even thousands of dollars a year. Fortunately, cutting back on, or even eliminating, them probably won’t significantly affect your daily routine, but they may put some change back in your pocket. Here are some ideas for single-use items to eliminate from your home to save some money, as well as some alternatives for getting by without them.

 

The average household uses two or three rolls of paper towels a week, for an annual cost of about $180. In reality, they should only be used as an emergency tool for extreme messes, not as an everyday tool. You can affordably replace them with cotton towels, or even old cut-up cotton t-shirts. 

Swapping out plastic wrap for glass containers with lids, reusable silicon stretch lids or beeswax wraps saves money. It’s one of the most used single-use plastic items, and it is almost impossible to recycle, so every single piece that has ever been used still exists in a landfill.

Unless you live in a state or city that has placed fees on them, plastic grocery bags don’t directly cost you money, but their environmental cost is enormous. The average American uses a whopping 365 plastic bags per year, but it’s simple to make the switch to reusable totes.

Regularly buying bottled water can add up to $500 or more a year, plus all of those plastic bottles introduce harmful toxins into your body and create a tremendous amount of waste. Instead, invest in stainless-steel water bottles for on-the-go hydration. If you don’t trust your tap water, use a filter pitcher.

Pre-moistened cleaning wipes are convenient, but expensive and easily abused. Try substituting them with a spray bottle of all-purpose cleaner and a set of microfiber cloths. Then, reserve a small canister of disinfecting wipes strictly for illnesses.

Fabric softeners and dryer sheets don’t just cost money outright, they can damage your appliances and cause health issues ranging from skin irritation to asthma, migraines and hormone disruption. They also leave a waxy coating on fibers, making them absorb less dirt and water. Instead, add white distilled vinegar to the rinse compartment to remove buildup and odors, and use wool dryer balls and low heat to eliminate static cling.

 

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Four-Ingredient Pesto Tortellini Bake

This 4-ingredient pesto tortellini bake packs a lot of flavor for very little effort — a package of tri-color cheese tortellini, a smidge of prosciutto, prepared pesto, and shredded mozzarella are all you need. It's a nice weeknight baked pasta to serve with a green salad.

Servings: 4

• 1 9-oz package tri-color cheese tortellini

• 1 cup prepared pesto

• 2 slices prosciutto, chopped

• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions:

• • Preheat oven to 350º F
• • Fill a large pot with slightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil.
• • Stir in tortellini and return to a boil.
• • Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tortellini float to the top and the filling is hot, about 3 minutes, and drain.
• • In a large bowl stir in tortellini, prosciutto, and ½ cup mozzarella.
• • Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle remaining mozzarella over the top.
• • Bake until cheese is melted and golden brown, about 10 minutes.

 

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