DEAR READERS: What do you know about the banana? Available year-round, bananas can be a healthy addition to your diet. The common supermarket banana has about 100 calories and 12 grams of sugar.
High in fiber and low in fat, bananas are a good source of potassium, which can help the heart. Bananas can be a smart choice for athletes to help rebuild expended energy, and for dieters, because bananas taste sweet and promote a feeling of fullness.
Bananas, with a good amount of tryptophan, can help with sleep problems and depression. They also have a high vitamin A count, so your eyesight can benefit too!
DEAR HELOISE: I feed hummingbirds year-round. I use 1 cup sugar to 4 cups water, heated to boiling, then cooled. I have many flowers they enjoy, but the hummingbirds continue to drink the syrup in the summer.
I will be leaving this summer. Would it be OK to fill extra feeders and store them in the fridge so our neighbor could swap them out while we are gone?
-- Paula F., Salem, Ore.
DEAR READER: It's so important to help our flying friends, and according to the Smithsonian's National Zoo, your recipe for homemade nectar is a good one.
Making extra and storing it in the fridge should not be a problem.
P.S. The hummingbirds need extra "fuel" this time of year to help them migrate and to get strong for breeding season.
DEAR HELOISE: I have a refrigerator without an ice maker. I use an empty half-gallon ice cream container to store ice cubes in the freezer section. It holds two ice trays' worth.
Also, I make the best iced tea, with three tea bags in a quart of boiling water, followed by a third cup of sugar and a half cup of cranberry juice, with a wedge of fresh orange squeezed in.
-- Ruth F., Ohio
DEAR HELOISE: I love to read paperback books. I can buy used paperbacks for about 50 cents at the library or at a thrift store.
After reading, I donate them to the libraries or thrift stores so they can be sold again.
-- Elizabeth in Minnesota
DEAR READER: Wonderful summer pastime, and a high-five for passing it on.
Send a money- or time-saving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795001, San Antonio, Texas 78279-5000; fax to (210) 435-6473; or email
Weekend on 08/16/2018