by Joy Cooke

Created on: July 31, 2010

It's always very disappointing to go to the fruit bowl only to discover that the mound of fruit you thought you bought yesterday has actually been sitting there for three days, gradually ripening to the point where they wouldn't be terribly nice to eat - yet it's such a shame to compost (or simply throw away) the fruit which cost such a hefty chunk of your shopping budget in the first place.

But you don't have to, there is so much you can do with overripe fruit that they actually become a very useful ingredient in their own right as opposed to simply being fruit you didn't eat in time.

Smoothies are always a good place to start.  Chopped up and blended it doesn't matter if the fruit is overripe; add a generous slug of your favourite fruit juice and you have a healthy smoothie to rival anything you can buy at the supermarket.  The beauty of making smoothies is that you can use whatever fruit is spoiling in your fruit bowl, obviously you will not be using rotten fruit and the fresher the better but with fruit that is a day or two past it's best you can create the most delicious fruity drinks. 

Overripe fruit can also be used to surprising effect when baking.  The best banana muffin recipes actually call for bananas which are starting to age slightly as they mash better and will create a softer texture in the baked muffin; browning bananas will also give a sweeter and more natural banana flavour to your muffins or cakes and can even help an accomplished cook to lower the fat content of a sweet treat, as the stickiness of the banana overrides the need for so much oil or butter.  Overripe peaches and plums can very quickly be pureed and used as a fruity filling for cakes and muffins.  Simply pour your cake mixture into the case, make a well and add the puree before baking.  The sponge will rise above the puree, encasing it and creating a rich and very fruity addition to your weekly baking repertoire.

If you have a large amount of overripe berries these make excellent purees for mixing in with natural yogurt, and should you grow your own berries and be left with a glut which are just beginning to over ripen then make jam!  There are recipes everywhere for jam, both traditional and contemporary flavours, and it does seem extremely silly that people actually throw away a huge amount of berries when they find they have grown too many.  Unfortunately the price of berries in the shops means jam making is no longer financially

• 1
• 2
• Next Page >>