Here at Naples Compost we are always looking for creative ways to reuse our food scraps before composting them. We are also aware that not everyone has the ability to compost. That is why we put together this article with 13 fun ways to use banana peels.
Did you know that banana peels are edible? And that they are actually the most nutritious part of the fruit? Yeah, we didn’t know that either until researching this article. Banana peels have so much potassium, phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium that they make for perfect supplements to your body and garden.
Don't toss your banana peel in the Trash, do one of these instead:
- Eat them as banana peel bacon!
- Polish and clean your plants
- Whiten your teeth
- Make a banana peel face mask
- Get rid of warts
- Use it to sooth a bug bite
- Make a compost tea
- Bury straight into your garden with a new plant
- Make your own insect trap
- Use as a base for an air plant then cover with moss
- Dehydrate them and make into a banana peel powder to use as plant fertilizer when needed
- Blend them and use as a slush to to add into potting soil to enrich it
- Compost it!
eat the banana peel
Seriously, we had no idea this was a thing until now. But yes, you can eat the banana peel.
Talk about hard core zero food waste, right?
Some people eat it straight, but we much prefer this recipe for banana peel bacon.
Feeling adventurous? Try adding it to your smoothie or boiling it and adding to cooked vegetables.
Polish & clean your plant leaves with a banana peel
The potassium in the white side of the banana peel is just what your plant leaves need to give them a little boost. Simply rub your indoor (and outdoor if your feeling like an overachiever) plant with the white side of your banana peel and your plants will be dust free, shiny and Instagram ready for your next #plantlady post.
Whiten your teeth with a banana peel
It turns out that the combination of citric acid and salicylic acid in a banana peel is perfect for whitening your teeth. Simply rub along your teeth before brushing and supposedly you’ll have whiter teeth in less than a month.
We are eager to try this one!
Make a banana peel face mask
The salicylic and citric acid aren’t just game changers for your teeth, they can brighten skin and keep wrinkles away. According to Cosmopolitan, banana peels masks are a must.
There are three ways to use a banana peel on your face. You can simply rub the white side of the peel on your face and leave for half and hour as a banana peel mask. This is supposedly good for brightening skin and anti-aging affects.
You can also put a more saturated amount on a trouble acne spot a few times a day for a week.
Banana peels are also great substitutions for cucumbers when you have puffy eyes.
Use a banana peel to get rid of warts
Some people swear that banana peels have worked wonders to heal their warts. If you want to try a homeopathic alternative before freezing it off, this might be for you.
Simply cut off a small piece of banana peel and tape it to the wart. Leave it on until it goes away, making sure to change the banana peel and tape each day.
Banana peels can sooth bug bites
This one actually works! I tested it myself. All you have to do is rub the white part of the peel on a bug bite to sooth the irritation.
This works because the peels have polysaccharides that help with inflammation. Who knew, right?
Make a compost tea with your banana peels
This is the banana peel hack that inspired this article. I wanted to add some extra nutrients to my garden and researched some ways to do that without using synthetic fertilizer. Turns out, banana peels are perfect for this! The peels are rich is phosphorus, potassium, calcium, and magnesium- the exact minerals that plants need for flowering and producing fruits and vegetables.
All you do is ferment banana peels in water. Then use the banana water to fertilizer your plants. There are two different ways to do this.
The first option is to keep a quart size jar of water in your fridge and add chopped up banana peels to it until it is full. Let it sit for a week once it is full, then strain the peels out and use it as “compost tea”.
The second option is to fill up a smaller jar with one or two chopped banana peels and let sit at room temperature for 2-3 days. Strain out peels and use as “compost tea”. Compost tea is administer straight to the plants just like your usual watering.
Bury banana peels in your garden
Wondering what to do with the peels after you use them in all the suggestions above that don’t use the entire peel? Well, you can put them straight into your garden.
Chop them up and bury them a few inches below the topsoil. As the bananas decompose they will release natural fertilizer. The banana peels also attract beneficial bugs and microbes that enhance soil health.
Roses in particular respond well to banana peels buried near them.
Make your own fly trap with a banana peel
If you’ve ever attempting composting then you know that house flies can be a very annoying occurrence (btw- you can learn how to troubleshoot them here).
Turns out that you can use a banana peel from your compost bin to trick those flies into a trap. That’s right! You can trap them!
Here is how to make a fly trap with a banana peel:
- Put the banana peel in a jar or plastic container with a lid (a yogurt container is perfect)
- Cover the peal with apple cider vinegar
- Poke a hole in the lid that is large enough for the fly
- The fly will drown in the liquid
- Discard after a few days
Use a banana peel as a base for air plants
Have you ever tried to transplant an air plant? It’s easier said than done. They tend to be pretty happy where they are and don’t like to move.
A banana peel can ease the transition for an air plant. All you need to do is place your air plant on a banana peel and cover up the peel with moss. The air plant will get the nutrients it needs to thrive in a new space.
Dehydrate your banana peels, grind into a powder, and make a calcium rich fertilizer spray
I know this seems like a lot of work, but what if you find yourself with a plethora of banana peels that you can use right away?
You can dehydrate them then grind them into a powder for a long term storage solution. When you want to add some extra fertilizer to a plant, just make this calcium rich fertilizer spray.
Calcium Rich Fertilizer Spray Made With Dried Banana Peels
- Three crushed, dried, ground up eggshells
- Four dried, ground up banana peels
- One tablespoon of Epsom salts
- One quart of water
Blend on high, transfer to a spray bottle and give you plants some calcium rich love.
Make a slush-like fertilizer by blending banana peels
If you don’t want to go the extra step of dehydrating your banana peels, but you still want to get all the benefits. This is also a great way to use the banana peels after making the banana water.
Just blend the peels with water to make a little slushy and use the slush to amend soil.
Compost your banana peels!
Obviously this is our favorite way to use banana peels. It’s easy and we love the finish product- compost!
If you are wanting to learn how to compost on your own, head here.
If you live in Southwest Florida and want to hire a food waste pick up service, learn more here!
Stick around for a bit and ready more about compost
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