What to do with over-ripened fruit?

We’re all familiar with the ‘apple-a-day’ philosophy. It’s no secret that fresh fruit, especially locally sourced fruit is great for our health and better for the environment.
But what happens when we get overly ambitious and suddenly the kitchen is filled with over-ripened fruit that nobody wants to eat? 

As the saying goes, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade, in the same way, when your kitchen has over-ripened fruit – make a fresh fruit salsa!

Take a look around your kitchen for sweet aging fruit such as: pears, peaches, bananas, apples, grapes, plums or apricots. This tasty roster of fruits can serve as the foundation for an irresistible sweet and sour salsa for your family and friends to enjoy.

Tip: Avoid putting over-ripened berries in fruit salsas as they tend to let out a lot of water and the salsa can quickly become slushy as a result.

Check out one of my favourite fruit salsa recipes below – it’s a great way to ensure that your fruits get eaten!

FRUIT SALSA

Preparation Time: 15 minutes
Serves: Approximately 6 people

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of fruit (any mixture of pears, peaches, plums or apples)
• 1 seeded red bell pepper, finely chopped
• ½  a bunch of cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced
• 3 green onions, diced
• Squeezed juice from 1 lime

Instructions:

1. Chop the fruits
2. Mix all the ingredients together
3. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use

You can serve the fruit salsa as a side with crackers or as an appetizer with some crustini breaded toast. You can also serve the salsa with grilled chicken, turkey or fish - a great addition to summertime grills.

Remember to serve the salsa chilled and keep it in the fridge for at least one hour so the flavours can blend well together.