Ways to Avoid Fruit Waste Frugal Families.com

Ways to Avoid Fruit Waste

apples Do you want an easy way to reduce your food budget by half? Stop wasting food. Believe or not, the average American household throws away half of all of the food that they purchase. It is easier to do than you might think. In a previous blog, Ways to Avoid Food Waste, I shared some ideas for reducing the amount of food that gets thrown out in your household. Now, let’s explore even more ways. Pretty soon, you can have an efficiently run food budget that will naturally reduce the amount of money you are spending on food.

My children love fruit. They can stuff themselves silly on it. But, every once in a while, their eyes are too big for their tummies, and there is some fruit that winds up being half eaten. Here are some ways I deal with this waste.

I usually offer fruit that is naturally bite size, such as blueberries or strawberries. This reduces the amount that might get bitten or tasted but not eaten.

For apples, oranges and other large fruits that can be sectioned, I slice, cut and de-core the fruit. This way I ensure that I get the most edible fruit out of the piece, and there is no core with lots of good fruit left. Cutting it also allows be to dish out a certain amount, helping to avoid waste. If the kids want more, I can always cut another fruit.

For those times that I do wind up with a half-eaten apple or plum or pear, it is pretty easy to make it into a quick microwave cobbler. Cut up the remaining fruit (you can cut away the bitten parts if you are squeamish, but I don’t do this since we all have the same germs in the family). Add it to a microwave safe bowl with a little butter. Top the fruit with some cinnamon and brown sugar and then microwave until it is warm. Top the desert with some vanilla ice cream if you really want a special treat.

Mary Ann Romans writes about everything related to saving money in the Frugal Blog, technology in the Computing Blog, and creating a home in the Home Blog. Starting June 1st, don’t miss her articles in the Baby Blog. You can read more of her articles by clicking here.