Sometimes, we end up in a situation where we see that a set of fruits we have purchased has suddenly grown ripe. Perhaps, we forgot to eat daily as planned, or the fruits ripened overnight. Whichever the case, most people do not consume overripened fruits. Some throw them away, and a few others give them away. However, you need not do either. There are ways to consume those ripe fruits safely.
Make smoothies
One of the best and easiest ways to consume overripe fruit is to beat a smoothie with it. You could try and combine one or more fruits for flavour and texture and an added taste. However, even using one fruit for the smoothie is a good and healthy way to consume the fruit. Beat it with milk and no added sugar if you want to avoid over-sweetness. Remember, most ripe fruits would anyway be sweet. Also, when you beat fruits, they will be sweeter than eating the fruit itself. You could add in a few dry fruits to make them healthier. Bananas, papaya, guavas, apples, mangoes, etc. can be made into smoothies and consumed, with or without milk.
Convert into jam/spreads
Just blend the fruit and then put it into a pan with some sugar and convert it into a homemade jam or spread that can be had with rotis, bread, puris, etc. Cook well to bring to desired consistency, and there is no need to add any artificial colour or preservative unless you are preparing huge quantities and planning to preserve for long. The little quantities can be easily stored in the fridge once cool and consumed within a week or two.
Bake away
The odd indulgence is good, not just for kids but for seniors too. If you are a good baker, then just blend these overripe fruits into your dough. They add a nice flavour to the cakes, tarts, muffins, etc. It makes for some good teatime snacks for the whole family also.
Fruit Yogurt
If you love flavoured yoghurt, you could mix the ripe fruit pulp into your daily cup of yoghurt to relish away. If you love the Indian curd version, then blend in the ripe fruit pulp with curd in a mixer and enjoy a healthy glass of fruit-flavoured lassi. Top it with chopped nuts.
Make popsicles
Blend the fruit, pour it into some moulds, and freeze it into popsicles. Kids love it and some adults do too! You could mix and match or add chunks of fruit along with juice for some added crunchiness. If you don’t have any moulds, you could simply use ice trays and freeze them into cubes.
Snacks
You could simply blend the ripened fruit pulp into a dough of some regular snacks. For example, the Mangalore Buns are made using ripened banana, maida flour, and some curd/buttermilk combination. This dough is fermented for a while and then fried in oil like pooris. You could directly pan-fry them as pancakes if you make the batter thin enough. Another way to eat overripe fruits is to blend them into a quick halwa, ghee, sugar, and dry fruits.
Some skin care too!
Did you know that ripe fruits can be used for some much-needed skin care for you to indulge in? Use ripe bananas, papaya, etc., as a face pack to peel away those dead skin cells and get some glow. For a banana face mask, mash the bananas with a fork, add a bit of honey and apply to the face. Leave it for 15 minutes and then wash it cleanly. For papaya, after mashing, you can add a bit of milk along with honey and apply it and then follow the same procedure. Strawberries make for a good face mask for a glowing face right in time for the festive season.
Those who make wine at home happily convert some ripe fruits such as grape, pineapple, berries, etc. into wine as well. Of course, all these are made in low quantities, and wine can be preserved for a long time. So, it depends on what way you want to use your fruit, other than throwing it out. There are ways to make it palatable with a little effort.
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