8 Delicious Ways To Use Up Overripe Fruit

Peaches have a soft spot? Plums a little mushy? Before you toss them in the compost garbage can, consider how best to utilise your overripe fruit. Cut out the really inedible parts, and use the rest to whip up something delicious. The riper the fruit gets, the higher the sugar content - so take advantage of that wonderful sweetness!

1. Warm water bath
When it comes to berries, we swear by this method to save overripe berries - especially strawberries: To slow ripening and kill mould spores, soak berries in warm water (125 F) for 30 seconds. Drain and spread out in a single layer on a paper towel to dry. Shop in the refrigerator and your berries will live another day!

2. Prepare sorbet
Extra ripe fruit is full of flavour - so do not let the soft texture tempt you to throw it away. Freeze them and puree them for a simple sorbet, or use an ice cream maker to make homemade ice cream or gelato.

3. Use them for crumbles, crisps, or fruit pies
If you want to preserve fruit for a recipe, overripe fruit is great. In crumbles and cobbler, the texture of the fruit becomes tender and the shape naturally loses some firmness, making this dish perfect.

4. Add to a cake
Just like fruitcakes, potato crisps and crumbles, fruit softens and loses some of its shape when cooked in a cake, so it's the perfect place to use overripe fruit.

5. Bake fruit muffins
Just like quick breads and crumpets, muffins are the perfect place for fruit. From rhubarb muffins to juicy berry-filled muffins, there are plenty of options. Try it out: Peach Cobbler Muffins.

6. Make smoothies
Just about any fruit will fit in a smoothie, so throw it in. If you are busy in the morning, wash the fruit, cut it into chunks and freeze it. Then you can put it in the blender when you need it.

7. Make compote (or jam)
Compote is a fancy word for a thick sauce. If you boil down fruit and season it with spices like cinnamon, black pepper, lemon zest or ground anise, you'll have a great compote to serve with a cheese platter.

8. Use in breads, quick breads and tea cakes
We all use overripe bananas in banana bread, so why not use fruit? Use that excess in breads and cakes! Try it out: Coffee cake with raspberries and sprinkles.