Wilting Fresh Berries? Don’t let them go to waste!

Fresh fruits, especially berries, are one of the best things about the spring and summer months. However, do you find that often your fresh berries begin to look a little bit wilted after a few days in the fridge and no longer seem very appetizing? If they are just a few days old and not rotten, they are still perfectly good to eat and can be used in a variety of ways. So instead of wasting them, here are some tips to still use fresh berries in your kitchen when they are a little past their prime:

Make a compote! A compote is basically a fruit sauce or topping. You can make a compote from many fruits, and berries are great for this. Compotes are delicious on whole wheat waffles, pancakes and French toast or can be mixed into yogurt for added flavor.  A compote recipe can be found on the blog at: https://eatsmartidahointhekitchen.com/2021/06/04/strawberry-compote/ This recipe is for a strawberry compote but you can use other berries to make a compote as well.

Freeze them! If you think you won’t be able to finish all of your fresh berries or fruit, or they are starting to look a little wilted, wash and freeze them to be used later in a smoothie or other recipe instead. (Tip: It may be helpful to remove the pits from fruits like cherries or chop bigger fruits into smaller pieces before freezing so they are easier to use later.) Berries make a great addition to any smoothie. A recipe for a delicious strawberry smoothie can be found on the blog at: https://eatsmartidahointhekitchen.com/2021/08/26/summer-breeze-smoothies/

Bake with berries! Older berries are perfect to add to baked items, especially breakfast foods. Tossing berries into bran muffin batter before baking or adding to whole wheat pancakes or waffles is a delicious and healthy way to use up wilting berries.  Feel free to view this week’s recipe for Berry Bran Muffins or a recipe for strawberry oat bars can be found at: https://eatsmartidahointhekitchen.com/2021/05/20/strawberry-oat-bars/

So, when you notice that your berries have been sitting forgotten in the fridge, don’t let them go to waste! There are still plenty of tasty ways to use them up!