Roundup won't kill nut grass; in truth it kills the other grass that keeps the nut grass from getting out of control! manage herbacide(now named "SedgeHammer" -same stuff) kills nutsedge. It's bad stuff; cannot be used in or around veggies, fruits etc. at all. Crabgrass killer(Weed-B-Gone) is more commonly used here. I bought some but cannot seem to bring myself to use it ... don't know if it works. It's bad stuff too: also not on or around fruits, veggies or ornamentals. I don't know why I bought it last year - a moment of weakness I guess. Both are PAN Bad Actors - acutely toxic. Whatever you do, do *not* pull nut grass. That makes it spread more as the nodules(plural) will repo even more plants - pull one get five. Yikes! You have to dig it out, carefully, to get the entire root system. I've done that and it is, IMO, very hard to do because of the weak roots. Cutting it short and starving it of water works good enough here. Solarization seemed to work but it might just be hiding and waiting to pop-up later. It grows thru all mulches I have used, including black plastic. Has anyone tried a full vinegar spray on it?

The recipe I have been using (I lost my mom's, my dad gave that book to someone else, but this one sounds right -- it's all in 3s), sounds like it might be something you would like to try. I was thinking the baking powder with the buttermilk might also be an improvement. My mom's had you cream the butter and sugar, add mashed bananas, sift the dry ingredients, then add alternately with the buttermilk. The new one I found said you could dump everything in the mixer bowl, blend and go. I have tried that and have also hybridized the process -- creamed the butter and sugar, then add the bananas and the other stuff. It all works -- just don't over mix it. 2 1/3 c all purpose flour 1 2/3 c sugar 1 1/4 c mashed bananas (about 2) 2/3 c softened butter or margarine 2/3 c finely chopped nuts (I use pecans (Texas and all), but walnuts work too) 2//3 c buttermilk 1 1/4 tsp baking soda 1 1/4 tsp baking powder 3/4 tsp salt 3 eggs You can use either mixing method and bake at 350. I make muffins more often than loaves lately -- you can bake this as mini muffins, standard muffins, loaves, a 13x9 cake or even layers.

The draining of juices and using the reduced juice will give you a more dense "bread" texture and won't be as soft as a bread with whole bananas in it. We usually make one that has whole bananas no yogurt and one less egg and use chocolate chunks (baking semi sweet). Walnut quality is important as well - better if toasted with salt.

Make sure your bananas are good and ripe if you reduce sugar in your recipe in order to compensate for the loss of sweetness from the sugar. I basically agree with the suggestions give by cloudy christine. I would have looked at your recipe and would have judged it as too sweet, too much liquid and not enough leavening... Banana bread science... Baking soda is commonly the chemical leavening in banana bread, and the banana the acid ingredient that activates it. As bananas ripen, their acidity decreases, so their reaction in partnership with the baking soda is a weak one. A good banana bread recipe ensures adequate leavening by using BOTH baking powder and baking soda. This will assure the banana bread doesn't get too heavy. Here's a tried and true recipe with even less sugar than you are wanting in your recipe, but more than enough sweetness. It's also wholegrain, low-fat and low-sodium for a nutritional plus. -Grainlady Banana-Poppy Seed Bread 1 c. mashed banana 1/2 c. sugar (I use 1/4-1/3 c. agave nectar - a low-glycemic sweetener.) 1/2 c. skim milk 3 T. vegetable oil 1 egg, lightly beaten 1 c. all-purpose flour (I use freshly-milled spelt flour) 1 c. whole wheat flour 2 T. poppy seeds (or whole amaranth seeds works well, too - you can leave the seeds out all together, if desired) 2 t. baking powder 1/2 t. baking soda 1/2 t. salt 1/2 t. cinnamon vegetable cooking spray Combine the bananas and sugar in a small bowl; stir well. Let stand 10-minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in milk, oil, and egg; set the mixture aside. Combine all-purpose flour and next 6 ingredients in a large bowl and stir well. Make a well in center of mixture; add banana mixture to dry ingredients, stirring until moistened (with a spoon, NOT an electric mixer - do not over-mix). Spoon into an 8-1/2x4-1/2x3-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray (a 9x5-inch pan is TOO large for this recipe). Bake in a 350°F pre-heated oven for 1 hour, or until a pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 5 minutes before removing - finish cooling on a wire rack. Yield: 1 loaf, 16 slices (about 125 calories per 1/2-inch slice). (Note: if you don't want a wholegrain version, use 2 cups all-purpose flour. I also add 2 T. flaxmeal to the recipe to increase the fiber. I often add walnuts (1/2 to 3/4 c.) to this recipe, but will omit the poppy seeds or amaranth seeds when I do.)