Buying dead ripe fruit

[thecuriousone]

HI All-

I buy a lot of dead ripe fruit. Are there ways that the professionals keep ripe fruit from going past the point of no return. I find that things last a lot longer if I was and dry them before they are put in the fridge. It allows me to take out anything that may mold the rest of the box, are there any other tricks that may give me an extra day or two? Thanks for any help

[johnsmith45678]

What exactly is "dead ripe fruit"?

[thecuriousone]

I'm speaking about fruit that is pretty far along the continuum between unripe and really ripe. A prefect example would be plums that would almost be unusable in 48 hours vs. being able to sit for a week and ripen. That is what I am referring to

[Shalmanese]

For berries and other small things, there was an eG thread a while back that suggested tossing them with a tiny bit of vodka which sterilises them and can keep them going longer. Haven't tried it yet but it sounds intriguing.

[Sentiamo]

For me, really ripe fruit is ONLY bought to use that day in a predetermined dish.

Is there a reason you usually buy fruit that ripe??? I personally would hate to have paid for something that is unlikely to be usable the day after if I had no specific need for it.

[rlibkind]

What Sentiamo said. Use it now or lose it later. But "dead ripe" fruit is, with few exceptions, the best possible state for just about any fruit. Especially if you're going to turn it into something like sorbet or ice cream. Or just eat out of hand.

[thecuriousone]

Hi All-

I buy it like that because the fruit market I frequent has such a turnover that they bundle these fruits in a sampler box and I can get most of the fruits and veggies I need for my family for the week at a really good price. It has taught me some things. First, my idea of over the hill has been really lengthened. Secondly, Often there is a sweetness I never knew a fruit could have the day before its no longer usable. I have canned and frozen much of the fruit, but from a taste experience alone, I've learned a lot.

[mizducky]

What exactly is "dead ripe fruit"?

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(Hopefully) helpful word-geek sidebar:

"Dead" in this context, I think, is a bit of slang hailing from Britain, meaning "very". As in: "I'm dead good at cooking omelettes." It's not, as far as I know, a specific terminology for a state of fruit ripeness.

Carry on ...

Edited to add: I have a market near me that does much the same thing with their almost-too-ripe produce. I simply buy the stuff when I'm planning to use it ASAP. Short of immediately cooking it, I know of no way to prevent it going all the way over the hill into uselessness.

Edited September 15, 2006 by mizducky (log)

[ZenKimchi]

Since I started making my grandmother's banana bread for my girlfriend, she has been stocking "dead ripe" bananas in the freezer whenever she finds them at the market.

[SheenaGreena]

oh you mean produce from the reject bin?

I always look at the reject bin and sometimes I find a good bargain and sometimes I dont. I tend to buy fruit/veggies that will last at least 4-5 days. If it has to be used within a day I dont buy it.

$0.99 for 3 lbs decent eggplants is a steal though!

[thecuriousone]

HI All-

Often these are really good buys and I find that they make me utilize all the skills that I've read about but not yet put to use. For example, one week, it was 5 lbs of peaches, 3 lbs of plums, 3 heads of iceberg, 6 red peppers, 5 lbs of bananas, a bunch of celery a bunch of carrots and 6 onions, for a 2 bucks. I canned the plums, canned most of the peaches and tried a peach barbeque sauce that I had seen, made stock with the celery, carrots and onions and still had the bananas some fo the plums to eat for a couple of days.

Additionally, since I never know what I'm coming home with, it forces me to look at my bounty from the standpoint of, "how can i get the most out of this?" Its forcing me to use different cooking muscles.

I must admit I'm looking at the whole food creation and preservation concept a little differently as I try these different processes. Freezing, drying and preserving arent usually what I think of when I think of oooking, but I've developed skills for all of these as I preserve the bounty and feed my family economically. Thanks or the input.

[tejon]

That's a pretty amazing haul! My local produce store does something similar, though they sell $1 bags of produce that are too ripe to sell. Last week I walked out with 4 pounds of perfectly ripe organic peaches for a dollar .

[Chufi]

My supermarket throws the bananas away that, in my opinion, could happily sit in the fruitbowl for another couple of days before they have to be eaten. When I seen someone taking them from the shelves and throwing them in the bin, I ask if I can buy them, but they won't let me!

Edited September 30, 2006 by Chufi (log)

[maher]

a lot of fruit is fantastic frozen. i especially like bananas, grapes, dates, and very sweet berries, but almost any fruit works. some fruits need to be cut up into bite sized cubes first.

the best thing about it is it makes a small amount of fruit into a great snack.

[Shalmanese]

a lot of fruit is fantastic frozen. i especially like bananas, grapes, dates, and very sweet berries,  but almost any fruit works. some fruits need to be cut up into bite sized cubes first.

the best thing about it is it makes a small amount of fruit into a great snack.

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Anothing nice, easy thing to do is to keep a bunch of frozen fruit in ziploc bags and then just whirl them in the blender with some milk, yogurt & honey for an icy cold fruit smoothie.