Got Fruit On The Edge? Don't Toss It - Try This

August 15, 2011 15 Comments

Snack Girl is a sucker for "buy one get one free" and she finds herself stocking up on perishables. Not a smart move since these perishables tend to rot before her family eats them.

I purchased too many peaches, strawberries, and a fruit salad and they were staring at me in the fridge. They were too ripe, a little mushy, and not very appetizing.

And, man, was I feeling guilty! How could I waste this bounty that a hard working farmer had grown, picked, and delivered to the store? AAAAAH!

I put on my thinking cap and my cape and decided to read my own website. In August of last year, I posted Sugar Free Jam In Seconds (No Artificial Sweetener!).

A very helpful reader - Christina shared this idea:

When I have berries (or other fruit like plums and nectarines) that are starting to shrivel but haven't gone bad, I put them in a pot, turn on the heat, and mash them up while they boil (5-10min).

There's no need to add sugar because the fruit is already ripe and sweet, and you can save it for a few more days (refrigerated!) and spread it on toast or mix it into oatmeal...or just eat it straight!

It only took me a year to try it!

Above is a photo of the fruit that I put in my sauce pan - a sliced peach, strawberries, some pineapple, a few blueberries, and grapes. Then I heated it up and mashed it and created Fruit Syrup.

Here is the finished product:

Is this delicious? Yes! Do I wish I had tried it earlier? Yes!

It is a fruit compote that uses up anything you have laying around. I did add a little sugar to mine because the pineapple was a bit sour. Also, I think lemon juice would be a great addition to give a citrus note to the syrup.

What do you do with it? Eat it, put in yogurt or cottage cheese, spread it on toast or pancakes, or (dare I say it) spoon on vanilla ice cream!

What do you do with "fruit on the edge"?

Fruit Syrup Recipe

(no reviews yet)

(makes 4 cups)

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Ingredients

1-4 cups assorted fruit such as peaches, nectarines, berries, etc.

Instructions

Cut up fruit into rough pieces. Add to sauce pan, heat up to a boil while mashing with a fork or potato masher. Bring to a rapid simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off heat and mash again to get to desired consistency.

Adjust with lemon juice, sugar, or cinnamon if desired. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

For one cup = 66 calories, 0.4 g fat, 16.2 g carbohydrates, 1.6 g protein, 2.5 g fiber, 0 mg sodium, 0 Points+

Points values are calculated by Snack Girl and are provided for information only. See all Snack Girl Recipes

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15 Comments:

I use "fruit on the edge" to make homemade popsicles. Just throw the fruit in a blender, no need to add sugar or other sweeteners. Then pour the pureed fruit in popsicle molds and freeze. SWEET! No guilt, truly all-natural, no sugar added popsicles. I've got honeydew popsicles in my freezer right now.

Cristina @ An Organic Wife on August 15, 2011

Sweet! Now, I have something else sweet to pour over my french toast/waffles/pancakes (I normally use a light drizzle of honey).
I like the idea of making popsicles, too.

L. Denise on August 15, 2011

Use them in homemade ice cream and gelato. I heard Mario Batali talk about this some time ago and it really works. The fruit flavor "pops"

Nancy on August 15, 2011

I make frozen fruitcups for breakfast (like Christina's method, except I add some orange juice to the fruit mixture). I then pour it into cupcake papers in a cupcake pan and freeze.

Rosemary on August 15, 2011

You people are geniuses! :) Thanks so much for sharing these great ideas! I'm always throwing out fruit that's past it's prime (so hard to turn down a kid asking for fresh produce)...and now I won't have to.

Jaimie on August 15, 2011

Sounds like a great idea! Thanks

Alyssa S on August 15, 2011

Last week I had some strawberries that were about to go bad. I was making a banana loaf and instead of applesauce I mashed up the strawberries and tossed them in the loaf - it added a delicious flavour!

Rebecca on August 15, 2011

wow, one cup of that is only 66 calories? that's so amazing...considering it's technically supposed to be the same stuff as what you buy in store.
for me with perishables like peaches or strawberries, i wait til they're soft (at least w/ the peaches as i don't like hard peaches) then cut them up into chunks and put them into quart sized resealable bags and toss in the freezer. then for the next week or so, dinner is 3/4th bag of frozen peaches/berries, nuke for a min or two to soften, then mix with a carton of Fage 2% greek yogurt! the sweeter the original fruit the better as the yogurt isn't sweet at all, and mixed together it's like eating a fruit icecream parfait w/o the added sugar and fat! :D eating that for dinner helped me loose something like 10 pounds in a month or so, easy.

Shannon on August 15, 2011

This looks like a delicious and healthier way to satisfy a sweet tooth. Instead of toast, you could try topping a Wasa Crsipbread with some cream cheese and drizzling this fruit syrup on top for a sweet, rich and crunchy snack that is low in calories and carbs! I work with the Wasa social media team and they have so many varieties to choose from. They also have a coupon on their Facebook page that's worth checking out: http://www.facebook.com/wasa?sk=app_10531514314

Veronica on August 15, 2011

Great idea! I wish I had read this a few days ago before my pretty strawberries got moldy. ;)

Julie on August 15, 2011

I Love this idea. I do something similar and i pour it over homeade whole grain and buckwheat pancakes.

dawn lerman on August 15, 2011

we used to eat something similar as kids over fresh, home made bread...we called it fruit soup...try it over toasted bread spread w/ a little peanut or almond butter...yum!!

aimeeb on August 15, 2011

Larry and I bring home as much fruit as we can eat within 2 or 3 days. Easy for us to do, because we don't have the demands of a big family. If we run out of fruit? We go buy more. However, I like the idea of turning fresh fruit into jam or jelly. I'm going to do that. Too much crap in the stuff ya buy at the super market. Thaks for this tip.

Karen Bain on August 15, 2011

I made this last week. Frozen it in an ice-cube tray. After freezing I popped them out put them in a Ziploc and throw a couple in my smoothies every morning! Delish! Thanks so much! Love the site!

Josigirl on August 22, 2011

I love bananas but they can get ripe REALLY quickly and get overripe. I take them just as they start to spot with brown spots and peel them and freeze them individually wrapped in Plastic wrap. The riper they are the sweeter they are and they are perfect as a frozen snack. Much better for you than most other snack items and it suppresses my craving for ice cream.

Tracy on September 7, 2011