As someone who loves fruits and vegetables, I do my best to keep my produce fresh and well stocked. Produce is one of the most eco-friendly food options, and I try to incorporate them into all of my meals. However, a tricky part of stocking your produce drawers is dealing with fruits and vegetables getting to be too ripe. You’re supposed to buy in bulk to reduce on packaging and transportation emissions, but what if you can’t eat it all in time? In the past, I’ve ended up throwing them away and wasting perfectly good food.
I found my answer to reducing food waste on Instagram from a fellow member of the sustainable community. The secret? A blender! if your produce is starting to get too ripe, throw them in a blender and pour them into ice cube trays. Then, put the trays in the freezer for a few hours, and… ta-da! Your frozen fruits and veggies will be good for another few months.
I’ve found that this method works for most fruits and vegetables. Some fruits, such as grapes, are pretty juicy and can be added to a blender no problem. With some produce it is best to add in a liquid to help the blender out a little bit. Almost any liquid, including water, can be used. My go-to mixer is usually almond milk or juice, Just a little bit can go a long way!
When it comes to actually using these produce cubes, I prefer to use them in smoothies. It’s perfect because everything is already frozen, plus you don’t have to waste your time cutting your produce into smaller pieces. I just throw in a splash of almond milk and my smoothie is good to go!
This method came in clutch a few weeks ago when Florida was hit by Hurricane Irma. I left my apartment in Tampa for a few days while the storm passed, and when I got back a lot of my produce was extremely ripe. My boyfriend’s immediate instinct was to throw away the brown bananas, but I blended up all of the produce into frozen cubes and now I’m still getting to use them.
Though I haven’t tried it, I would think that frozen produce cubes could work pretty well in cooked dishes, sauces, etc. Has anyone ever tried this? I would love to hear some feedback. If not, this experiment is the next on my list!
Bee Green 