Great suggestions guys!

Since I received such wonderful suggestions via comments to "YOUR TURN: What's your favorite way to salvage fruits or veggies that are slightly past their prime?" I've decided to make them a post for anyone who hasn't gone back to read the comments.

Anyone who especially enjoys stone fruits as I do, see Michelle's suggestion for peaches. I especially like the balsamic grilled suggestion!

Enjoy!

Darlene said...
To answer your question about salvaging veggies, I usually incorporate them into a stir fry. Fruits, mostly bananas, go into a banana bread recipe.
But if they're turning watery (you know what I mean), I pitch them into the canyon at night so they can decompose naturally!

Patricia Scarpin said...
"Old" veggies go in omelets and fruit go in cakes and muffins.

KleoPatra said...
Hmmmmmm... fruits and veggies past their prime in my fridge either end up as compost, mixed with my dog's food (she's mostly vegetarian) or sneaked (snuck?) into some sort of batter for muffins (i.e. soft zucchini, limp carrots), liquified and added to cake mix (i.e. mushy bananas) or mashed up and put into cookie batter (the most convenient way i've found to use most "on-their-way-out" fruits!).

Anh said...
I normally use leftover fruits in baking. For veg, I throw them into stir-fry or soup.

Michelle said...
Veggies usually end up as pizza toppings, in a stir fry or sauteed and tossed with pasta. Slightly mushy tomatoes will end up as a pizza or pasta sauce.

One of my favorite things to do with abundant fruit is to use it as a dessert topping, especially on ice cream. This is really yummy with bananas (think Bananas Foster) as long as they aren't too soft. I also love to just slice up some apples or peaches and saute for just a few minutes with brown sugar, cinnamon and sometimes a splash of liquer. It's quick and fabulous over ice cream.

Another favorite is what my Mom used to make growing up in England -- a fruit crumble. I've never quite seen the same thing here, but it's somewhere between a cobbler and a crisp. Excellent to use up extra fruit and also quick.

I know this is getting long, but I have to say something about peaches before I go. I LOVE peaches, but tend to have too many around the house in the summer. That's because I refuse to buy them at the grocery store any more. They're as hard as hockey pucks when purchased and often do not ripen into the juicy delicious fruit that I love. I bought them at Costco once and they were perfect. I now buy them there every summer and have never been disappointed. The trouble is you get 12 really large peaches. I'm the primary peach eater in our household and there is no way I can get through all of them before they spoil so I incorporate them into dinners and desserts a lot. Here are some of the things I like best:

Cut them in half, remove the pit, then fill the center cavity with balsamic vinegar. Grill on the bbq or bake in the oven. Yummy with fish, chicken or pork, or even as dessert.

For a yummy dessert, do the same thing as above, but fill the cavity with some brown sugar and your favorite spices. After grilling dinner, turn the heat to low, put the peaches on, close the lid. They'll be done when you've finished eating and ready for a scoop of ice cream and fresh berries on top.

One more word on the bananas, definitely banana bread if they're beyond edible. My husband is the expert there. I especially like it when he adds a little Ibarra Mexican chocolate (chopped into small pieces) to the batter. It's out of this world!!

Comments

  1. I love the sound of the grilled peaches. Must try and incorporate that into my tart one of these days. :)

    I don't do much cooking these days but I know the boy's mum throws her 'old' tomatoes and carrots into a curry or stew and if there are apples i'd make an apple pie or apple crumble out of them.

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  2. Superb post. I'm far too wasteful. Have a composter now and suspect I subconciously think getting rid of browning or drooping veg is virtuous. It's not!!!!
    Thanks for reminding me.

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  3. ilingc and wendy,
    thanks for stopping by!
    Personally, I am too wasteful myself. Which is what I loved about the comments to the original post. It just seems so much "easier" to throw out aging food than to think of creative ways of using them. But the suggestions sure gave me plenty of ideas...

    :)

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