Fact or Fiction?!

So, we have all received email forwards in our life (assuming we have email, unlike my Uncle Bob (61), who still to this day does not have an email address - even though both of my grandmothers (86 and 82 do! =)). One of the most recent ones I got was from Kath. It was filled with all kinds of tips and entitled "DID YOU KNOW?"

Well, I thought these were pretty neat, Martha Stewart-type tips, and want to try them out as I can. The first one that I attempted was the first two on the list...

1. "Peel a banana from the bottom and you won't have to pick the little "stringy things" off of it. That's how the primates do it."
--> I will say Fact. For the most part, 95% of the "stringy things" I didn't have to bother with! The very small thin ones were less successful. Whether or not the primates do it this way, well, I guess I'll have to tune into the Discovery channel and take a look, because I never noticed it with any of the monkeys in the movies - I thought they all peeled their bananas from the top?! And even if they did, do they really care about the "stringy things"?!

2. "Take your bananas apart when you get home from the store. If you leave them connected at the stem, they ripen faster."
--> May be Fiction - so, I attempted this with a bunch of bananas that I got from Costco (btw, one of the cheapest places to get bananas - usually 8 LARGE bananas for $1.30!). I took 4 bananas and broke them apart separately and left 4 bananas connected. Honestly, it seems like they are all ripening at the same speed. Would love to know if anyone has noticed otherwise?!

A few of my own tips not included (passed on by friends, cooking shows, or magazines):

A. When peeling or smashing garlic and you have that wonderful odor (I actually really do like it) on your fingers and soap doesn't remove the smell, rub your fingers up and down a steel blade (on the knife) and it takes away the smell! (I was actually excited, as I was able to tell this to 2 older ladies in a kitchen store! =)

B. Wrap unused celery in aluminum foil, this will keep it longer then just in the crisper drawer alone (I think this came from Heidi and Michelle via their mom?!).

C. Hang ironed/pressed table cloths with a pants hanger (ie. in the coat/hall closet) to avoid them getting wrinkled in a drawer or extra crease lines from being folded.

Enjoy!