10 Things To Do With Over-Ripe Fruits and Vegetables

I hate waste of any kind, especially food waste. I usually overshop at the grocery store, or most often, at one of the warehouse giants or farmers’ markets. I’m so attracted to the beautiful, fresh fruits and vegetables that I want to buy them all. I usually cave in and buy as many as I can.

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The thing is, I  know we can’t use all of it. For many reasons, too. It’s challenging to stick to a meal plan when you work late, attend kids’ sporting events two or three times a week, attend community events, or visit relatives for a day. By the end of the week, fruit flies start appearing. I start feeling guilty. Then I feel bad about being so wasteful.

Here are 10 ingenious ways to transform over-ripe fruits and veggies before they grow fuzz and become mush. These tips are not just about preventing waste, but also about unleashing your creativity and resourcefulness in the kitchen.

1. Make sweet breads and muffins

These can be a great addition to your breakfast or as a snack during the day. Fruit breads and muffins are not only a delicious way to use overripe fruit, but they also retain the nutritional value of the fruit. For instance, my favorite sweet breads , Whole Wheat Banana Muffins and Banana Tea Bread, are rich in potassium and fiber. I wait until the bananas start to turn black before I puree them. Once the bread is baked, you can keep it in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bananas, pumpkin, squash, zucchini, apricots, apples, raisins, dates, and figs are among my favorites for making sweet breads and muffins.

2. Make fruit leather

Fruit leather is a great way to use overripe fruit. It can be made with just about any fruit. Sweeten it with a little honey and a bit of lemon or lime juice to retain the fruit’s color. Let it slowly bake on parchment paper, then roll it up, slice it, and store it in an airtight container. Fruit leather can be stored for up to one month in an airtight container or up to one year in the freezer. See my recipe for Raspberry Fruit Leather for a quick, healthy treat.

3. Make smoothies

Overripe fruit and some veggies can be blended with a bit of ice, yogurt, and honey to make delicious smoothies. Toss the fruit into the freezer for about an hour, until it’s mostly frozen, before blending. You can also freeze the fruit and veggies a couple of days before making smoothies to keep them from ripening.  It will blend well and create thick smoothies. Check out our Fruit-Yogurt Smoothie recipe.

4. Make flavored teas and lemonades

Make a pulp from overripe fruits like mango, berries, peaches, and plums, and mix it with tea or lemonade. Ripe fruit is usually sweet, but you can sweeten it further by adding a small amount of honey. If you’re not big on pulp, you can simmer the fruit in about a tablespoon of water until it turns into a liquid (works great with pomegranate seeds, too). Strain to remove any fruit pieces that did not dissolve. Make lemonade or limeade by squeezing over ripe lemons or limes, then mixing with a simple syrup. Homemade fresh lemonade is always a big hit. Plus, you can use the peels to make Limoncello.

5. Make sauces and syrups

Slice soft apples or pears and simmer with a bit of sugar or honey to make a thick sauce. You can also add other fruits to the mix, like berries, apricots, and peaches. Cook apples, pears, peaches, or apricots in a slow cooker, then make homemade butter, like apple butter or peach butter. You can water-bath both sauces and butters and store them for up to 1 year. Sauces also freeze well. Simmer overripe fruit in a bit of water and sugar to make syrups. This is a great way to keep the fresh flavor of berries. You can also store syrups for up to one year.

6. Sprout the seeds and grow new plants

Many fruits and veggies are filled with seeds or have shoots that can be planted. Scrape the seeds out of veggies like bell peppers, melons, cucumbers, tomatoes, pumpkins, okra, and squash. I usually wash them off, then set them aside to dry completely. Plant a couple of seeds in small starter pots and grow new plants. You can also dry peas and beans. Some veggies sprout shoots like potatoes, onions, garlic, and pineapples. Plant potatoes, onions, and garlic in the ground or in small beds. Slice the top off a pineapple and plant it directly in the ground or a gardening container, and start your own pineapple garden.

7. Make fragrant aromatics

Make your own natural air freshener by heating up orange peels and ginger slices or apple peels and cinnamon sticks. There are endless combinations of fruit slices, rinds, or peels that can be simmered alone or with herbs, ginger, anise, cinnamon, and fragrant dried or fresh flowers.

8. Make fruit and yogurt pops

Slice, chop, pulse, or liquefy fruits and make fruit pops and yogurt pops. Add a bit of honey for sweeter pops. Berries and melons work best. Pops can be stored in the freezer for several months.

9. Make cleaning products

Use the peels of oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit to freshen up your garbage disposal. Drop two or three peels down the disposal and let the fragrant citrus flavors eliminate any unwanted odors. Add lemon, orange, or lime juice to your favorite cleaning products to tone down the chemical smell.

10. Make liqueurs

The “cellos” are very easy to make and require only the peel or rind of citrus. I usually make Limoncello, but I’ve also made other liqueurs with lime, grapefruit, and oranges. You can also soak berries, such as strawberries, overnight in grain alcohol. The berries will turn pale, but the alcohol will be filled with flavor. Homemade liqueurs make great gifts, and they can be stored forever.

What do you do with your over-ripe fruits and veggies? Do you follow any of these tips?