Freezing and Stewing Fruit

I hate wasting food, particularly lovely juicy fruit that can otherwise be saved.

Over ripe and excess fruit is great for baking, whether it is used as is, frozen for later or stewed there is no limit to the tasty delights they could create.
Don't throw it out, give it a second chance!

Freezing your fruit:

The good news is that freezing doesn't significantly reduce the nutritional content of fresh fruit and may even help preserve vitamins.

Make sure you use airtight containers or ziplock bags.

Peels contain added vitamins and minerals in many fruits so whether you peel or not is all down to personal preference and what you intended to use it for.

Seeds and pits are more easily removed before freezing.

Cutting fruit into smaller chunks will save space in the freezer and time when it comes to using it.

Fruits should be deseeded or pitted before stewing or freezing.

Stewing your fruit:

Stewed cherries, pears, apples, peaches, plums.......

Are great for puddings, slices, sauces and even just served straight with icecream.

The down side to cooking fruit is that you can expect to lose some of those wonderful vitamins and minerals but generally not all.

The upside? They taste great!!

Basic stew

*Prepare fruit

*In a saucepan big enough for double the amount of fruit heat on Medium setting.

Add the fruit and a splash of water.

*Heat until boiling then reduce the heat to a simmer until your fruit is soft. 5-10 minutes depending on the fruit and how ripe it is.

Consider adding flavours:

Cloves, spice mixes, vanilla bean, liquors, citrus zest.

Stewed cherries and pear ready for a tasty slice.

Do you have a favourite fruit recipe?

Feel free to post a link if you have a good one to share.