Ways to Repurpose Leftover Fruit Parts: Transform Them into Pickles, Kombucha, and More
Fruitful Remnants: The Unexpected Delights of Watermelon Rinds, Apple Peels, and More
Why toss out the core of a pineapple or the peel of an apple when you can transform them into mouthwatering treats? Fruit scraps, such as watermelon melon rinds, pineapple cores, apple and pear peels, citrus rinds, and strawberry tops, offer a treasure trove of possibilities for pickling, candying, and fermenting. We tapped an expert food preserver and a fermented foods aficionado to share their top tips for making the most of these oft-cast-aside ingredients.
Make the Most of Your B basket with Camilla Wynne, Culinary Educator and Author of Nature’s Candy
Camilla Wynne, master food preserver, cooking instructor, and author of Nature’s Candy
Bringing the Brightest Flavors to Life with Jorge Azevedo, CEO of Fermented Food Holdings and the Brains Behind Wildbrine and Bubbies
10 Scrumptious Scraps That Deserve a Second Chance-and the Mouthwatering Methods to Use Them
Utilizing Fruit Scraps
Three compelling reasons to save your fruit scraps:
- Sustainability: Minimize food waste and contribute to a greener planet.
- Frugality: Every little bit counts in the kitchen, and your wallet will thank you for reusing an ingredient instead of throwing it away.
- Flavor: These precious scraps provide a delicate, sweet touch to recipes that takes them to the next level. Start by washing and drying your scraps thoroughly to set yourself up for success.
Candy Coated Delights
Savor the sweet life with candied fruit. Depending on your preference, you can either preserve in syrup or dry and coat it with granulated sugar. Enjoy these treats as a standalone snack or mix them into muffin and cake batters for an added sweet and chewy burst of flavor. Camilla Wynne, our expert food preserver, swears by candying citrus peels. While citrus peels reign supreme, you can also candied other scraps like apple peels for a bit of quirkiness.
A Symphony of Vinegar
Turn your fruit scraps into a dynamic duo with homemade vinegar. The process of alcoholic fermentation involves your fruit scraps (or fruit), water, sugar, and a starter culture, often an existing vinegar. Homemade vinegar can effortlessly elevate your repertoire of salad dressings, and its virtually endless shelf life is a significant perk. Try infusing your vinegar with strawberry tops, cherry or apricot pits, or even tomatoes (yes, they're a fruit!). Camilla Wynne also incorporates apple and tomato scraps into her homemade vinegars.
Quench Your Thirst with Kombucha
Fermented not your thing? Let us introduce you to kombucha. Similar to vinegar, kombucha ferments into a tasty, slightly sweet, and sour beverage. Its main ingredient is tea, but don't be fooled; it undergoes an impressively similar process. If you're a fan of a particular kombucha flavor, brew it using scraps from that fruit-the peaches and other stone fruits make a delightful choice.
Tepache: The Refreshing Mexican Sipper
Tepache is a refreshing Mexican drink made from pineapple peels and cores, usually sweetened with piloncillo or brown sugar rather than white sugar. Give it a chill, and sprinkle it with chile powder for a zesty kick.
A Pickle: Not Just for Cukes
Nope! Cucumbers falling under the fruit umbrella? You better believe it! So it only makes sense that other fruits can also enjoy the pickle treatment. Jorge Azevedo, CEO of Fermented Food Holdings, notes that fruits have a higher sugar content than most vegetables, and they ferment pretty rapidly. "If you aren't careful, they could also develop small amounts of alcohol, which can be good or bad depending on your expectation for the final product," he says.
Vinegar pickling, an accessible method for beginners, carries little to no risk of alcohol development. Go ahead and experiment with different pickling methods to find your favorite: watermelon rinds, citrus peels, pineapple cores, apple scraps, pear scraps, mango cores, and rhubarb scraps.
From Waste to Wonders: Perfect Preserves
If you collect an array of fruit scraps, consider making yourself a batch of homemade preserves. Whether you have mushy berries or overripe peaches, add some sugar and a touch of lemon juice to create a delectable preserve. Freeze the scraps for future use if you don't have enough for a whole jar.
Infused Syrups: Sweet and Simple
Make your drinks extra special by adding a splash of infused syrup. Simple syrups can sweeten your coffee, iced tea, or cocktails, and can also add moisture and flavor to cake layers. Camilla Wynne's syrup of choice? Strawberry tops and rhubarb trimmings.
Sip, Steep, and Serve with Loose-Leaf Tea
Dehydrate your fruit scraps, like citrus, apple, or pear peels, and create a one-of-a-kind loose-leaf tea blend. Pair citrus notes with Earl Grey, or add apple to spicy blends for a warming touch.
- Incorporate watermelon rinds, pineapple cores, apple and pear peels, citrus rinds, and strawberry tops into pickling, candying, and fermenting for a variety of mouthwatering treats.
- For a frugal and sustainable approach, save fruit scraps as they provide a delicate, sweet touch to recipes that enhances their flavor.
- To make candied fruit, preserve in syrup or dry and coat it with granulated sugar, then enjoy it as a standalone snack or use it as an addition to muffin and cake batters.
- Turn fruit scraps into homemade vinegar for an impressive addition to salad dressings, or try infusing kombucha with fruits like peaches for a delightful beverage.
- Experiment with different pickling methods for fruits such as watermelon rinds, citrus peels, pineapple cores, apple scraps, pear scraps, mango cores, and rhubarb scraps.
- Reusing fruit scraps not only contributes to the health-and-wellness and food-and-drink aspects of a global lifestyle, but also supports fitness-and-exercise and the science of healthy-cooking due to reduced food waste and reusing ingredients.
