Ultimate Tournament Staple

Looks like this vehicle is on its way to an ultimate tournament.

[original image via]

[Chart] USAU Club Events

USA Ultimate recently reported "Last year, USAU-sanctioned 37 regular season events in the club division. This year, 54. 45% growth on that front."

Last year, USA Ultimate sanctioned 37 regular season events in the club division. This year, 54. 45% growth on that front.
— USA Ultimate (@USAUltimate) September 12, 2013

That's a lot of extra bananas!

Slow a Banana Ripening

As snacking Ultimate players know: Sometimes you want a banana to ripen faster, other times you do not.

Option 1: To slow ripening, you need to remove ethylene. You can't remove ethylene completely, but you can slow its reaction by putting ripe bananas in the fridge. The skin of the banana will turn brown, which is normal, & the fruit inside is still good. You can keep bananas in the fridge for a couple weeks & they may not look good, but they still taste great. Do not put unripe bananas in the fridge, it will impede the early stages of ripening and spoil the fruit.

Option 2: If you want to hold onto your bananas for longer, separate them at the stem. Separated bananas were clearly still greener than the ones that were bunched together.

Banana Protection

With the help of apples, bananas can ripen faster. With the aid of molded plastic, your snack for the Ultimate game can be protected.  

Banana Guard [Lookfly Ultimate Gear] 

Info: Are you fed up with bringing bananas to your Ultimate game only to find them bruised and squashed?

The Banana Guard was specially designed to fit the vast majority of bananas. Its other features include multiple small perforations to facilitate ventilation thereby preventing premature ripening and a sturdy locking mechanism to keep the Banana Guard closed.

Testing indicates that over 95% of commercially available bananas will fit into the Banana Guard. Highly curved bananas can be straightened ever-so-slightly without harm to fit the Banana Guard shape. The opposite holds true of very straight bananas. Color options: Red, Pink, Blue, Green.

Price: £ 2.00

Green Banana Gas

Bananas are a popular snack for Ultimate players, except when they are inedibly green.

With a little help from ethylene gas, a green banana turns yellow overnight. Ethylene gas is the odorless, colorless gas emitted when a fruit ripens. The gas is released in greater amounts from some fruits such as apples and bananas. Placing a green banana next to a ripe apple gives the banana exposure to a source of ethylene gas to quicken the ripening process. 

Step 1: Put the banana in the bottom of a brown paper bag.
Step 2: Put two ripe apples beside the banana in the bag.
Step 3: Fold over the top of the bag, closing it loosely to allow air to penetrate the bag while still trapping the ethylene gas. 
Step 4: Place the bag in an area that maintains room temperature out of direct sunlight.

Ultimate List

Don't forget these few items to enjoy playing Ultimate in the summer.

WHAT TO BRING:
• Yourself – easily overlooked, but please attend, Ultimate is fun.
• Cleats – if got ‘em, bring ’em.
• Sunscreen – protect yourself.
• Frisbee – write your name on the 175 gram flying disc.
• Portable shade – takes the form of a hat, sunglasses, an umbrella or any other fancy creation.
• Food – Lunch, bananas, energetic snacks, etc.
• Liquid – water, water, water & a hydrating sports drink.
• Attire – shorts + one white shirt. one dark shirt.
• Socks – Bring 2 pair so if one pair gets (too) sweaty, you will have back-up.

Any other items you'd recommend?

Banana Drama

Terrified FDA Warns Something Making Bananas Brown After Several Days [Onion. 11.29.10 ISSUE 46•48]

WASHINGTON—The Food & Drug Administration made an emergency announcement Monday to alert all U. S. citizens that "a force or forces unknown" is turning seemingly normal bananas brown, soft, and virtually inedible in as little as 72 hours.

"Whatever is causing the dramatic and frankly disgusting changes in these bananas is able to penetrate any container and is completely undetectable by any known instrument," said visibly shaken FDA commissioner Dr. Margaret Hamburg, adding that the brown sections of banana were "quite mushy and gross." "We urge anyone currently in possession of normal yellow bananas to consume them immediately, before this mysterious browning malignancy can strike—and it will strike."

The disturbing news comes only weeks after the FDA's announcement that bananas' tough, fibrous outer layer should always be removed before consumption.