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Tip Store: Cooking: Fruit

​How to Ripen a Green Avocado

​To ripen a hard avocado wrap in foil and place in oven on 200 deg. for 10 minutes let cool.
Contributed by Carol Neilen, 2nd May 201

​Processing Passionfruit

Approximate $ Savings: Frustration :)
​I have a very prolific passionfruit vine and would empty the pulp into a container and try to break it up, a very frustrating job which didn't always work. Then I discovered if you cut the end of the passionfruit, insert a sharp knife, and just twirl it around inside the passionfruit case, it breaks up the pulp very easily and much more manageable. The added bonus is no extra bowl/dish to wash up :)

​Stop Wasting Fruit!

You've probably noticed during the hot weather that fruit tends to go off a bit quicker. I usually refrigerate most of mine but some weeks the kids will eat heaps of it and others they won't eat as much. To avoid waste I decided to freeze some of it. I'm not really sure if all fruit could be frozen, but I have tried a few. It makes a great treat on the hot days we have been experiencing this summer, particularly when ice blocks are expensive. This week I decided to chop and freeze the watermelon, oranges and grapes. I just popped them in ziplock bags (which I wipe out and reuse). The kids are just loving them! Of course you could try other fruits as well! Beats throwing it out!
​- Contributed by Katherine Field, 11th January 2013

​MOO Gourmet Olives

At markets you will often see large Kalamata olives for sale, but a lot of people don't know what to do with them. Prices vary from $4 -$7/ kilo but you pay $15-23/ kilo in the shops! Buy, if you don't grow your own, to save heaps. Here's how you preserve them: Using a small sharp knife, slash the side of each olive. Pack them into jars or just a small bucket, cover with water and change this every day. I do this for 20 days (but a minimum 7), to remove the bitterness. Next layer them with rock salt (I buy the cheapest bulk pack from IGA) and leave for 4 days. Remove from the rock salt and rinse lightly, pack into jars and pour over Italian salad dressing, adding chillies, herbs, garlic slices etc. If you use olive oil it can solidify, not very appetizing! I use Homebrand dressing and use this as well on salads as the olives intensify the flavour. To reuse the rock salt, rinse lightly, spread in dehydrator or on an oven tray and use low temperature for a few hours. I can do 3 kilos of gourmet olives for $18 at a base cost of $4/kg olives.
​- Contributed by Debra Cox, 14th April 2012

​Easy Stewed Fruit

You'll need a vacuum flask and any dried fruit. I use prunes, because I like them. I use a kilo bag of prunes un-stoned or a 500 gram bag of stoned fruit but you can use any dried fruit. Put the fruit into the vacuum flask and fill with boiling water. Put the cap on and leave overnight. In the morning you have delicious, plump fruit, cooked and ready to eat.
​- Contributed by Anne Barry, 23rd October 2011

​Another Use for Frozen Bananas!

You can actually freeze bananas in their skins - when they become over ripe just chuck them in freezer as is, or peel the skin off and wrap them in cling wrap. Not only can they be used in cakes and muffins but also in smoothies. I put frozen bananas, milk, strawberries, oats, yoghurt and a teaspoon of honey into them, which is basically a meal, especially for fussy kids. It's a sweet treat they love!
​- Contributed by Jackie, Gordon, 12th February 2010

​Freezing Favourite Treats for Out of Season Enjoyment

Approximate $ Savings: $200

​ My son's favourite food is the humble grape but unfortunately they can get quite pricey when not in season. To combat this I stock up on seedless green grapes when they are at their sweetest (around January/February), pick them off the stalks and freeze them in an air tight container or zip lock bag. This way we have yummy grapes for much longer and as a bonus they are a great healthy treat when frozen instead of sugared icy poles and are easier for little ones to handle too!
- Contributed by Lauren, Yass, 14th January 2010

​Saving on Ice cream

Approximate $ Savings: Approximately $15 to $20 per month Buy ripe bananas, you usually get them on special when they are getting too ripe, Peel and mash them up until they are light in colour and freeze. When ready to eat take out of freezer about 5 minutes before hand and again give them a really good stir until almost white in colour then bingo you would never know that you're not eating banana ice cream.
​- Contributed by Sonia, Burleigh Heads, 4th February 2010

​Fruit Flan

I have a beautiful recipe for fruit flans that you could make with your frozen strawberries- cream 100g butter with 100g sugar. Add 1 egg, beating well. Add 200g flour, half teaspoon salt and a teaspoon vanilla and mix well. Cover with a tea towel and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Knead on a floured surface for 1 minute, then roll out to half a centimetre thick. Cut out circles and place in an un-greased muffin or flan tin and bake for 15-25 minutes (depending on size of muffins or flans) at 180 degrees. Flan shells should be pale golden. Turn out onto cooling rack and leave to cool. Then make up a quantity of half custard, half whipped cream and fill the flans with it. (For a touch of extra "YUM!" coat the inside of the flans with melted dark chocolate and put half a teaspoon of apricot jam in the bottom of each flan.) Then top each flan with as many frozen strawberries as it takes to cover the top. They look absolutely stunning and I adapted this recipe from one I had combined with the way our local bakery does them (and sells millions of the things!) Oh, and you can do double or triple batches very easily as they freeze well!
​Contributed by Anita, Launceston, March 12th 2008

​Strawberry Dessert

Semi freeze a can of evaporated milk, whisk till it forms peaks, gradually add some defrosted strawberry along with some strawberry jelly crystals. Place into glasses or bowls to set , to serve add a piece of Mint, alternatively save some of the jelly crystals, beat an egg-white, gently tip a serving glass or bowl into the egg-white and then into the jelly crystals, making something special to serve your dessert in. - Contributed by Sally-Anne, Coomba Park, 13th March 2008 Discuss this tip Some Simple Strawberry Suggestions I am no chef so my suggestions are simple. MMMMMMMM with so many strawberries I couldn't think of anything else but: 1. make smoothies 2. mix them with apples in a blender and make icy poles if you have moulds 3. add them to yoghurt and muesli for breakfast 4. add them to a basic muffin recipe 5. be decadent and dip them in chocolate at Easter time for a kind of healthier option 6. put them on the stove with some castor sugar heat & pour over pancakes or ice cream 7. make jam 8. eat naturally as part of your fruit intake I wanted to get to 10 & have gone blank. Enjoy your strawberries.
​- Contributed by Kylie, Bundoora, 13th March 2008

​Strawberry Parfait

With this hot weather still hanging around why not allow enough (for whatever number of people) strawberries to thaw slightly and throw them in a blender with some extra ice and a teaspoon of caster sugar. Serve in a parfait glass with a long spoon and some ice cream. Or the adult version of a "Slushy"! Do the same and just add desired amount of Bacardi Rum or another white Spirit. Enjoy
​- Contributed by Leanne, Preston, 12th March 2008

​Smoothies, Muffins, Ice-cream

Frozen strawberries would be lovely thrown straight from the freezer into a smoothie. What about pureeing them up with a little icing sugar to make a lovely sauce to go over cheesecake or ice-cream. You could also make jam with them. They work well in muffins and cakes as well. Try mixing them into a chocolate muffin mix (Homebrand ones are quite nice). Enjoy your strawberries!!
​- Contributed by Sonia, 12th March 2008

​Microwave to Make Strawberry Jam

There is a great recipe for microwave strawberry jam on the Gardening Australia website. You could also make a coulis if you serve a chocolate cake or other chocolate dessert or add them to banana or plain muffins. Just make sure you thaw them in a container to catch all the juice that will come out of them.
​- Contributed by Louise, Willaston, 12th March 2008

​Ideas to Use up Lots of Berries

Wow - what a bargain...all I can say is yummy home made jam. Mix with other seasonal fruit, that may be going out cheaper now (eg plums or other berries) and you have great breakfast all year or better still presents. My friends love my home made jams!
​- Contributed by Kym, Nagambie, 12th March 2008

​Strawberry Suggestions

Some suggestions to use frozen strawberries are: 1) Pull a few out every morning or lunchtime to blend in with milk and yoghurt for a smoothie, that way they act as ice as well keeping the drink cold for longer. 2) If you make cakes or desserts you can defrost the strawberries to make a strawberry couli. You chop the strawberries into small pieces, put them in a small saucepan with equal parts water and sugar and let simmer for a while until slightly thick our still able to pour. Its a great sweetener for a boring cake or vanilla ice-cream.
​- Contributed by Melissa, Camberwell, 12th March 2008

​Make a Strawberry Cake

​Put them frozen (minus the green stalks) in a blender with milk to make a smoothie. Or defrost them and put them in place of bananas in a banana cake recipe for strawberry cake.
​- Contributed by Chevaun, Malvern, 12th March 2008

​Berry Coulis

I use any frozen berries to make a coulis sauce. Put the frozen berries in a saucepan and heat gently until they're squishy - you may need a little water. Then put them through the blender or food processor. To be posh you can sieve out the seeds. Add a bit of sugar if you don't like the sauce tart. Use this over ice-cream, pancakes, sponge pudding.
​- Contributed by Grace, Hocking, 12th March 2008

​Freezer Jam

If you are wondering how to freeze strawberries, you can lay them out on a baking tray with spaces between them, and put them together in a container after they are frozen. Or, you could add the same weight of sugar, stir it all together and make freezer jam. You could de-frost the strawberries you have and make jam with them the same way, or the traditional way on the stove. You can also blend them up to make a strawberry sauce for yoghurts or ice cream. You can also blend and strain them, add the same weight of sugar, and a little water and a teaspoon of citric acid for each cup of liquid. Heat it all up until it thickens and this makes a great cordial for drinks. Have a super fantastic day!
​- Contributed by Christie, Erina, 12th March 2008

​Quick Strawberry Dessert

Grab five punnets and slowly simmer them with one cup of icing sugar and then make some custard, line a dish with some home made pastry, layer strawberries then custard, your choice if you want to put a top of pastry and then cook for another fifteen min or until pastry is brown and then freeze the pies. five punnets should make about two to three pies. great dessert in a hurry. you can even use a pie maker to do little ones and freeze individually. kids love them.
​- Contributed by Carol, Albany,12th March 2008

​So Many Ways to Serve Strawberries

There are so many uses for strawberries, ranging from food to beauty products, it's unbelievable! If you have oily, problematic skin, mash up a few strawberries and apply them straight to your face and chest as a mask, then leave on for a few minutes. Strawberries are slightly astringent so they really help with oil control and pimples. What about smoothies? Blend up a handful of chopped strawberries with a cup of flavoured or plain yoghurt, a scoop of ice cream and a drizzle of honey for amazing smoothies. Replace the ice-cream with milk for a quick breakfast smoothie. Or replace the milk with cream and freeze the mixture in DIY ice block moulds for luscious ice creams that the kids will love. How about strawberry jam? Google is a great tool for finding new recipes. I just did a Google search for 'strawberry jam recipe' and it came up with 321,000 matches. Have a quick look to find a recipe that suits you and your family. Another variation of the strawberry jam is coulis. It is so quick and easy to make and just beautiful poured over ice-cream. Just think of the coin saved from not having to purchase store bought ice cream topping. (Once again, Google is great for these recipes.) Strawberry shortcake is something that it quick and easy too. Make up a batch of quick shortbread, cut up some strawberries, add a dollop of cream and you have a quick and easy dessert. If in need of a novel way for kids to eat plain strawberries, how about fruit kebabs? Either use a combination of fruit or just the plain strawberries. Kids seem to enjoy eating things off sticks! You can also do this with strawberries straight from the freezer for a summer day treat. Just pierce with a metal skewer first then thread onto a wooden skewer (with the points removed, of course). My favourite way of enjoying strawberries, however, is this. I call it 'Strawberries in Pink Sauce'! Cut your strawberries in quarters (removing greenery) and squeeze over the juice of half a lemon. Cover and leave in the fridge for half an hour. This allows the fruit to macerate and release all the lovely juices. When you want to serve it up, add a couple of tablespoons of sugar, depending on your taste. I don't like mine to taste sour. Then add a drizzle of cream. When you stir this up, it creates a beautiful pink sauce. I serve this with ice cream or even by itself for a light dessert. Anyway, I hope I have given you a couple of ideas to tide you over.
​- Contributed by Clare, Macquarie Links, 11th March 2008

​Strawberry Banana Sorbet

Use the strawberries frozen with 2 frozen banana (can use bananas that have gone black on skin) Add 2 tablespoonfuls of custard bought custard is fine and blend altogether and serve straight away. It's like a sorbet very refreshing on a hot day.
​Contributed by Lorraine, Gelorup, 21st March 2008

​Many Uses for Frozen Strawberries

Frozen strawberries don't thaw very well to use as whole fruit, they tend to go mushy but can be added to the blender while frozen with milk (and ice cream if liked) to make great smoothies or pureed alone or with a little honey for sauces for pancakes and ice cream. I've also pureed them and when thawed I've mixed them in both icings and cream fillings for cakes. Or add to a muffin mix, you may need to omit a small amount of the liquid in the recipe. Or at the last minute you could just drop them in whole into fresh fruit salad.
​- Contributed by Glenys, Cainbable, 13th March 2008

​Strawberry Ice Cubes and a Great Birthday Cake

​Use the strawberries as fancy ice cubes in a fruit punch or a glass of sparkling wine. Buy a generic double sponge cake and fill it with generic vanilla ice cream and the strawberries, dust top with icing sugar or drizzle over some simple choc icing(1 cup sifted icing sugar 1 tbsp sifted cocoa 1tbsp soft butter or marg and 1tbsp boiling water. Blend altogether till smooth). Great as a special birthday cake! - Contributed by Belinda, Pascoe Vale, 13th March 2008

​Good Food for Less with Market Markdowns

Shops often sell 1-2 kg bags of ripe, marked down fruit for $1 or $2. These are fantastic value. I use the stone fruit for making jam and chutney in the microwave, icy poles and ice cream. I always buy mangoes by the boxful. Depending on the size and number, the price I'd pay varies between $10 and $18 for 12-16 mangoes. We enjoy eating them. But to avoid waste through spoilage, I also freeze skinned chunks to use in milk shakes, use some in salsa, and some to make ice cream. Easy Mango Icecream 2 cups of mango pulp 2 cups of bought marked down but still good custard 600 ml of thick cream 3/4 cup sugar (for diabetics, use appropriate sugar substitute) Mix all the ingredients well with a wooden spoon. Freeze in the freezer or use an ice cream maker. Enjoy! \
​- Contributed by Lavita, Plenty, 4th January 2008

​What To Do With Ripe Bananas

​Instead of turfing out ripened bananas, freeze them instead! The next time you need mashed bananas for that yummy cake or muffin recipe, take the frozen banana, let it defrost whilst you get your ingredients organized and it will be ready to use. Just cut off the top and squeeze! The banana has not lost its colour or flavour. No more wasted bananas and cake and muffins taste just the same! - Contributed by Rita, Taylors Lakes, 21st June 2007

​Using Up Old Fruit

I also have a hint to do with left over fruit but it has to be caught before it has started to go rotten. At the end of the week if you have fruits such as apples, pears, peaches or nectarines left over they could be stewed with a little sugar or honey, cooled and then placed in little plastic containers in the freezer. When you are looking for a tasty desert take them out of the freezer a few hours before tea or place them in the microwave on defrost. Delicious with a little cream or ice-cream. Slightly soft bananas can be frozen as is and then peeled and eaten as banana ice-cream.
​- Contributed by Elizabeth, Warrnambool, 20th March 2007

​Don't Throw Away Your Half Eaten Apples

My children love their apples but as my daughter has braces she can't just bite into an apple and can't take a knife to school so I have to cut them up but the problem is they always go brown and yucky but we discovered if you cut the apple and wrap it in a wet paper towel then wrap in glad wrap the apple won't go brown. I think it's great for little ones going to kindy as long as you wrap the cut up pieces in wet paper towel.
​- Contributed by Bartrim, Mudgeeraba, December 5th 2006

​Lemons on Hand

When lemons are plentiful, squeeze and freeze in ice cube trays. Peel the skin with a peeler (not too much pith though) and put in food processor then store in freezer for use in cakes etc. This way you always have juice and peel on hand and it saves time.
​- Contributed by Beverley, October 8th 2006

​Frozen Fruit Treats

With the weather starting to warm up I have found great refreshment and healthy is frozen watermelon, rockmelon, honeydew melon and pineapple. I bought them at the fresh fruit and veg market quite cheap, as they needed eating. Come home and cut them and freeze them. My niece and nephew thought they were great especially when I had placed some on skewers to make frozen lollypops.
​- Contributed by Jacquie, October 17th 2006

​Many Ways to Serve Strawberrie

Freeze the berries into ice cube trays with some water or cordial. Looks great for parties and kids love them. Puree and top plain yoghurt like the fancy supermarket and fruit shop styles or top on warm porridge. Use as a berry coulis if having friends over and make a plain chocolate cake a masterpiece with the plate dressed with the sauce or even add to a basic pancake mix or muffins with the cut fruit inside then a jam or similar on top from the same. Enjoy! 
- Contributed by Susan, Swansea, 12th March 2008