The first time I tasted my sister-in-law Evelyn’s banana bread I was hooked. First of all, I am not the banana lover everyone assumes me to be. OK, yes, I do almost always have bananas in the fruit basket I keep on my kitchen counter, and I do have half a banana most mornings, but that doesn’t mean I like them! Bananas are just convenient. You don’t have to cut them or core them or get all sticky from their juice, so like I said, they’re convenient. Add that to the fact that I am lazy, and you have a winning combination. And really it isn’t just that I don’t fully appreciate the taste of bananas, it’s just that I have always preferred veggies to fruit (with one notable exception discussed below.) Just the way I was made, I guess. And it’s not because I wasn’t exposed to fruit as a child.

We lived on 2½ acres when I was growing up and we grew every type of fruit imaginable (at least imaginable for western Washington).  We had several types of apple tree, a peach tree, cherry trees, a pear tree, a crabapple tree, and my favorite, a green Gage plum tree. According to the Raintree Nursery site, “Gage plums came from Italy to France in about 1520 where they were named “Reine Claude”. Brought to England in 1720 by Sir William Gage, he soon lost the labels. These delicious fruits, ideal for dessert or jams, have thereafter been named after him.” (A little bit of plum trivia that has absolutely no relevance to today’s post.)

Green Gage plums may be perfect for dessert or jams, but the best way to eat them is fresh off the tree. I can remember every year spending days harvesting plums, one plum at a time, and eating them until I was practically sick. I can still hear my mom calling to me from the front porch of our home warning me that one day I would eat too many plums and make myself sick. Never happened. And now, it’s hard to find these little darlings in the grocery store or even at a farmer’s market. Sigh…..

So I guess I’ll have to stick with bananas as my “get the minimum requirement of fruit in my daily diet” go to fruit. And of course, bananas will always possess that one redeeming quality that makes them worth appearing in every super market in America. They are, and will always be, the star of one of our most beloved quick breads. And if you can find even one person who doesn’t like banana bread, you will be one up on me. Auntie Evelyn, again a big thank-you for this easy and delicious recipe.

• ½ c. butter, melted
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 eggs, room temperature
• 1 c. mashed very ripe bananas (about 3)
• 1 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 tsp. soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 1/3 c. hot coffee
• ½ c. chopped walnuts, opt.

Cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add mashed bananas. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flours, soda, and salt. Add to the banana mixture alternately with the hot coffee until mixture is thoroughly combined. Stir in nuts. Pour into a lightly greased loaf pan and bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the middle of the loaf comes out clean. Let sit for a couple of minutes then gently turn out onto a cooling rack.