What to do with all this fruit?
By GreenMoo
@GreenMoo (11834)
August 15, 2011 5:30am CST
I really enjoy making jams and chutneys, and normally at this time of year I'm in my element with ripe fruit all around. But this year the idea of making jam just makes me want to run away and hide. I can't summon up any enthusiasm for it at all.
At the present count I have a crate of plums, several buckets of strawberries, 3 crates of pears, two large bowls full of rowan berries, trees dripping with elderberries and blackberries ripening all over the area. And although they're not jam material I have tomatoes galore.
I hate to see it all going to waste, which is what will happen to it if I don't get it processed shortly!
Last night I made a pear, strawberry and blackberry crumble for dinner and I've made a pear and cinnamon bread and butter pudding for this evening. But there is only a limited amount of fruit we can eat in desserts. I gave away a big bowl of strawberries yesterday and sent my partner off this morning with a carrier bag of tomatoes to give away.
Someone, please, give me a hefty kick up the rear to get me going. It's hot outside which makes chopping fruit indoors in the cool the perfect way to spend a day. So what's stopping me?!
Do you enjoy making jams? Do you preserve fruits in any other ways? What could I do with all this fruit in my kitchen before it goes bad, other than make jam?
3 people like this
13 responses
@NoWayRo (1061)
• Romania
15 Aug 11
I simply freeze berries when I have too many and no time for them, they seem to handle it pretty well (except for the strawberries, they're awful defrosted). With tomatoes, I make juice - it stores well, and I can reuse it during the winter for cooking or just to drink. Especially with vodka 
We also dehydrate and/or smoke plums here, they make a tasty dish with meat in the winter, but it's a lot of work if you don't have a device to dehydrate them. I'm not sure about the pears - we pickle them, but it's an acquired taste. 
Good luck with your work, I was also planning to store some bell peppers today, but it's too hot, not gonna happen
We also dehydrate and/or smoke plums here, they make a tasty dish with meat in the winter, but it's a lot of work if you don't have a device to dehydrate them. I'm not sure about the pears - we pickle them, but it's an acquired taste.
Good luck with your work, I was also planning to store some bell peppers today, but it's too hot, not gonna happen 1 person likes this
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
15 Aug 11
I haven't enough electricity to run a freezer, but I've been busily slicing up tomatoes, strawberries and plums to dry this morning. They're on greased over trays sat on the chicken shed roof and should dry pretty well providing I remember to bring them in this evening. I do have a dehydrator, but it's electric 
Pickled pears sounds like an interesting idea. I might go research that once I've got the very perishable fruits out of the way.
Peppers are a doddle. I preserve mine in oil or vinegar, or just chop very small for dehydrating. Mine aren't quite ready for preserving in bulk yet, I'm keeping up with production by just eating them every meal at the moment!
Pickled pears sounds like an interesting idea. I might go research that once I've got the very perishable fruits out of the way.
Peppers are a doddle. I preserve mine in oil or vinegar, or just chop very small for dehydrating. Mine aren't quite ready for preserving in bulk yet, I'm keeping up with production by just eating them every meal at the moment!1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45487)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 Aug 11
You could always freeze the berries, for use when they're out of season.
Spread them on cookie sheets initially to freeze, and when they're good and frozen, put them in freezer bags. This method will prevent them from clumping all together. Use them from the frozen state. I've done this with zucchini, too. It's nice to put in a winter lasagne.
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
15 Aug 11
I should probably have said that I don't have enough electricity to run a freezer! Otherwise I'd do exactly as you suggest and save them for some other time when I feel more culinary.
I have spent the morning cutting up the more perishable fruits. Some have gone on greased trays out I the sun to start dehydrating but there's a huge pan of plums which I will have to face up to this afternoon.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45487)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
15 Aug 11
Dehydration is another way to go.
Unfortunately, it's too humid here for sun-drying.
@Fishmomma (11377)
• United States
17 Aug 11
I enjoy making muffins and freezing them. Also you could make tomato sauce or juice and we have been doing this for years. Its a great way to save money.
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
17 Aug 11
I used to make tomato sauces, but I found that the amount of time it took me coupled with the amount of gas it took to sterilise the bottles did not make commercial sense when it is available so cheaply in the supermarket. Now I prefer to use tomatoes in chutneys and jams which are not available in the shops.
@3SnuggleBunnies (16374)
• United States
17 Aug 11
I'd love to give you a hand in processing it so i could learn how to make the things you make. I would agree you need to get going before it all spoils. Is there anyway you could freeze any of it in it's current form or with little effort so you could process later? Or I'd grab a friend or family member or two and have a jam making party... they help you and they get a lil jam ect for their household for the help. I know I'd be there in a flash!
@marguicha (215428)
• Chile
16 Aug 11
If you have a big freezer, blend it, add some sugar and place it in bags for later use. Then you can make the jams when you want to. I also use them for cakes later on. It is processing, but not as tiring as making jam.
@marguicha (215428)
• Chile
16 Aug 11
I have a small freezer but when my apricot is full of ripe apricots, I wish I had more space. The fruit rippens in one week and I´m working on jams from morning to night. Last year we had a lot of apricots and I tarted to hate the word.
I hope you already figured it out. On what to do with all of the fruit.
Or that somebody has already given you the hefty kick!
@GardenGerty (157551)
• United States
15 Aug 11
If you have a freezer you could chop them, sugar them and freeze them to use later. With a juicer you could juice them, and then add the pulp to bread, or save it to add to bread when you want to make some.I wish I had some fruit, it just got too hot and dry. I missed it.
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
16 Aug 11
I haven't a freezer unfortunately, which I should have said. Not enough electricity. If I did, I'd be bunging the lot inside to deal with another day.
I do like the idea of adding the pulp to bread. I don't make bread at the moment but when I used my bread maker I used to really enjoy experimenting with additions.
@ShepherdSpy (8544)
• Omagh, Northern Ireland
16 Aug 11
Not being a Jam Maker (But Love eating home made jams!) I can only assume There's only so much cooking and preparation of perishable fruits you can do with limited electricity and little or no refrigeration...All I could think of would be smoothies and pies,after the Jam..Chutneys and tomato based sauces for pasta dishes would be my take on the tomato glut...good luck with the production!
@jillhill (37354)
• United States
16 Aug 11
I don't do anything like that anymore. I used to do alot of canning and making jellies etc when I lived on a farm but now without the kids here I don't really need or eat that much! Do you have a freezer that you can just plop it in until you are in the mood?
@dragon54u (31636)
• United States
15 Aug 11
Fruit is great for shakes. Put them in a blender, if you have one, with milk or water and some ice, maybe some sugar. They're delicious and everyone will love them. Or, as the others said, freeze or dehydrate them. You don't have to have a dehydrator if you have a place to hang them and some cheesecloth or something to put them in. They're a great winter treat when they're dehydrated and they keep practically forever.
@GreenMoo (11834)
•
15 Aug 11
Sadly my blender is higher powered than my inverter, so no shakes here today :-(
But I've spent the morning cutting up the more perishable fruits and setting some out to start dehydrating on greased trays out in the sun. I have a huge pan of plums all chopped up which i will have to start turning into jam this afternoon though, no choice really!
@magtibaygom (4858)
• Philippines
16 Aug 11
Have you tried bringing some to the fruit marketplace nearby and selling the excess fruits you have? You will help other people get a good taste of your fruits, while you, will earn some extra cash.
@santosmarichris (1849)
• Philippines
16 Aug 11
Hi. I love making fruit shakes. So, before all the fruits go rotten I already made a drink out of them, very nutritious too.
