We have reached that time of year when bananas left sitting on the countertop progress from mouth-puckering green to black-spotted overripe in such a short time that buying larger quantities than can be consumed in a day or two is “fruitless.”

When you accidentally overbuy and find yourself with bananas that have passed their prime, or dead bananas, as my children call them, there are wonderful ways to use them, though.

Overripe bananas make wonderful banana bread, muffins, pancakes and even cake. Check past copies of Alamo Celiac, your Alamo Celiac Cookbook, or another of your favorite gluten-free cookbooks for recipes using bananas.

If you don't have time to bake on the day when you must decide between using those bananas and relegating them to the garbage, you can freeze them for use later. Peel the bananas, place them in a plastic storage bag or other freezer container, and put them in your freezer. When you are ready to use the bananas, it only takes a few minutes to thaw them at room temperature or a few seconds to thaw them in the microwave oven.