Help Tip the Planet grow by contributing to an article. Learn how.
Fruit & fruit drink tips
From TipThePlanet
- Instead of wasting over ripe bananas, try making them into banana bread bbc.co.uk -banana bread recipe
- Always buy fairtrade bananas www.fairtrade.org.uk/products_bananas
- Buy innocent smoothies... they taste lovely, they're made of fruit and fruit only, and you're helping a company that's leading the way in ethical business - The innocent ones
Contents |
[edit] Apple and Pear tips (UK)
- Whenever possible, buy local apples and pears in season. Ask your supermarket to stock traditional local varieties, sourced locally and not sent via distant distribution centres.
- Buy fruit direct from the producer. The Soil Association (tel 0044 117 929 0661) has a directory of local food schemes such as organic food boxes and farm shops. Find out if your area has a farmers' market - contact the Environment Co-ordinator at your local authority.
- Celebrate Apple Day on October 21st and get involved in your local Community Orchard. Details from Common Ground, PO Box 25309, London NW5 1ZA.
- Plant your own apple or pear tree(s). Look for a traditional variety from your area. Lists of traditional tree suppliers are available from Common Ground (tel 0044 171 267 2144) and the Henry Doubleday Research Association (tel 0044 1203 303517). The Brogdale Horticultural Trust also sells traditional fruit trees (tel 0044 1795 535286).
- Encourage your local school to get hold of free fruit from the Intervention Board (tel 0044 118 953 1694).
[edit] Choosing and preparing fruit tips
- To see if a pineapple is ripe, see if you can pull out one of the leaves at the top. The pineapple will also have a golden tone to it.
- For a great tasting watermelon, hold the melon to your ear and knock on it. The more hallow it sounds, the better it will taste. You may get some strange looks.
- Strawberries seem to spoil very quickly. Here is an old tip my mother taught me... Remove the leaves and stem of the berries. Wash and place them in a colander. Pour BOILING water over the strawberries. This will kill the bacteria that molds the berries. Place the strawberries in a plastic container in the refrigerator. They will last twice as long.
- Keep scissors from sticking to dried fruit when you cut it by spraying the scissors with cooking spray.
- To ripen fruit quickly (such as pears which take a long time to ripen) place the unripe fruit in a paper lunch sack along with a banana. Fold sack closed and check next day or two & fruit will be ripe & ready to eat! Works great.
- To see if cherries have worms in them... place them in water. If they float they have worms in them.
- Buy fruit in season and jar or can for use in the winter. Buy it before it is ripe and ripen at home in a bowl or bag.
- Slightly bumped or bruised fruit shouldn't be wasted. Put the fruit in a blender with some vanilla yogurt or low fat ice cream, skim milk, crushed ice and a pinch of sugar.
- To pick a sweet cantaloupe, look for the one with small, tight netting on the skin and it should smell sweet. If the seeds rattle, it may be overripe.
- To get more juice from lemons first soak them in hot water for a few seconds. Then roll them before squeezing.
[edit] Buying Fruit in the UK
[edit] Fruit Drinks info
- Think about where your fruit juices come from
