Fruits tucked away within the freezer are likely to go forgotten, however if you do come across them, they needn’t go to waste.
From merely consuming them as they’re to combining them creatively along with your breakfast, there’s nobody correct option to devour them.
Nova Scotia-based Nikki Gordon says she’s hooked on throwing frozen blueberries in her oatmeal for breakfast.
“They thaw fairly fast as soon as the water hits them. However rattling, what a pleasant little deal with,” she says.
Learn extra
Kathryn Dau-Schmidt from PEI, in the meantime, shares that children wish to eat frozen fruit proper out of the freezer.
“They suppose they’re a deal with. I allow them to thaw a bit and sprinkle them over yogurt,” she says.
Whereas these recommendations appear easy sufficient, Atlantic Canadians appear to even be googling for extra revolutionary concepts for what to do with frozen fruits. We requested some creative dwelling cooks to share some cost-effective recipes.
Fast and simple: smoothies
Smoothies turned out to be the simplest and due to this fact hottest selection. Charlottetown, PEI dwelling cook dinner Allison Rothmel makes one thing referred to as an ‘anti-stress smoothie’.
What you’ll want: one cup vanilla-flavoured low-fat frozen yogurt, one medium-size ripe banana, two cups frozen blueberries, one tablespoon honey, one tablespoon reduced-fat 2% milk, and 4 to 6 ice cubes.
Technique: Place the yogurt, banana, blueberries, honey, and milk in a blender. Mix on excessive till the combination is frothy and ice cubes are finely floor. It’d take about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Pour into 4 glasses.
If you will discover just a few unsprayed lavender sprigs, take away the flowering buds from them and sprinkle about half a teaspoon over every serving.
Lavender is thought to be a relaxing agent.
Rothmel’s secret twist? “Use a frozen banana as an alternative of ice,” she says.
Nova Scotian Sonya Butler, in the meantime, makes one thing referred to as a pineapple shock.
What you’ll want: two cups frozen pineapple, one entire frozen avocado, one frozen banana, one cup of spinach, one teaspoon grated contemporary ginger (or extra), two cups sugar-free vanilla-flavoured Almond Breeze, one tablespoon chia seeds, and half a cup of plain Greek yogurt.
“Mix up in your blender. It serves 3-4,” she says.
Stratford, PEI-based Linda MacLean makes strawberry dawn smoothies. Her recipe consists of half a cup of strawberries, half a cup of pineapple chunks, 1 cup of orange juice, one tablespoon of honey, and one-quarter teaspoon of grated ginger. Mix all the things till easy and well-combined, she says..
Jam-ing it up
Jams got here in an in depth and enthusiastic second when it got here to recipe recommendations.
Karen Wooden from Charlottetown, PEI says she makes jam from her frozen homegrown gooseberries, rhubarb, and redcurrants.
“I make cranberry sauce from the cranberries I freeze every fall in addition to bake muffins and cookies with them,” she shares, including that the frozen berries and frozen apples are nice for making crisps, muffins, candy bread, oatmeal, and cookies.
“There is no such thing as a finish to what you are able to do along with your frozen fruit.”
Kimberly Brown MacDonald from Nova Scotia makes chia jam along with her frozen fruit.
“Prepare dinner down the fruit, add chia seeds, and sweetener – sugar, honey or maple syrup are nice. It retains for weeks in a mason jar or coated Tupperware,” she says.
The jam is nice with yogurt or as a pancake topper, on toast, over pound cake, or on shortcake, based on Brown MacDonald.
PEI-based Irene Pollard says she not too long ago made rhubarb crisp utilizing her frozen rhubarb; she additionally made strawberry-rhubarb jam.
What you’ll want for Brown MacDonald’s jam: 5 cups contemporary or frozen rhubarb – about three giant stalks, lower into half-inch cubes, two cups contemporary or frozen hulled and halved strawberries (about one pint), two and 1 / 4 cups of sugar, one tablespoon contemporary lemon juice (from about half of a giant lemon).
Technique: Mix all of the components in a medium to giant saucepan over medium warmth. As soon as the combination begins to bubble, scale back warmth to medium-low.
“You will need the warmth set to the purpose the place it continues to bubble however not violently when stirred,” advises Pollard, including, “You will perceive when you begin cooking. If the jam bubbles, it begins to come out of the centre of the pot.”
Proceed to cook dinner, stirring sometimes, till the jam has thickened.
“Plan on cooking the jam for about an hour and the temperature of the combination is over 205°F,” says Pollard.
Whereas the jam is cooking, you possibly can sterilize 4 glass jars plus their rings and lids by boiling them in water for about 10 minutes. You possibly can then fill the jars with sizzling jam, leaving at the least one-quarter inch of area on the high.
“Safe the lids simply tight sufficient in order that they’re hand-tightened however you possibly can simply unscrew,” says Pollard.
Subsequent, switch stuffed jars to a pot of gently boiling water and let boil for 10 minutes. Switch jars, set at the least one-inch aside, to a dish towel and let cool, undisturbed, for twenty-four hours.
“It’s best to hear the seals on the lids pop fairly quickly after eradicating them from the water. If any jar will not be absolutely sealed, otherwise you select to skip the canning course of, the jam must be refrigerated and used inside two weeks. Sealed jars will preserve, in a cool, darkish place, for as much as a 12 months,” she says.
Crumbles, crisps, and muffins
Paula Sinnott from Morell, PEI, shares what she very cleverly determined to do along with her mom’s many frozen and forgotten fruits.
“My mom had a freezer full of varied fruits – blueberries, apples, strawberries, cranberries, and rhubarb. She stored choosing and freezing them yearly however didn’t use them up,” Sinnott explains. “I substituted totally different fruit combos utilizing my grandmother’s recipe.”
Sinnott determined she’d make a rhubarb crumble.
What you’ll want: 5 cups rhubarb, half a cup white sugar, one-quarter cup water, and two tablespoons of tapioca.
For the topping, you’ll want half a cup rolled oats, half a cup of all-purpose flour, half a cup of brown sugar, and one-third a cup margarine.
Technique: Place rhubarb in a baking dish, stir to combine sugar and tapioca. Add water. Combine remaining components and sprinkle on high. Bake at 350°F for roughly 50 minutes. Serve plain or with whipped or ice cream.
“So easy and made so typically I do know the recipe by coronary heart. And that does not occur typically,” she provides.
PEI-based Cora Nicholson enjoys making fruit crisps. She merely sprays a pan, places one fruit or a mixture of fruit in it, provides as much as a cup of water, sprinkles it with sugar (brown or white), cinnamon, and nutmeg, then mixes up some butter, flour, fast oats, and extra cinnamon and nutmeg till she has sufficient crumbly combination to cowl the fruit.
Then she bakes it at 350°F till it’s brown and bubbly, which is normally for about 40-50 minutes.
“The quantity of sugar and water I exploit will depend on how tart the fruit is and the way a lot juice I believe they may provide,” she explains.
“I’ve even made one with contemporary apples and canned candy potatoes. Sometimes, I’ll add only a little bit of Skor bits and walnuts to the topping, no matter is out there or catches my fancy on the time.”
The following time you attain means behind in your deep freezer and discover some frozen fruit hiding behind a bath of ice cream, strive any one among these recipes to whip up one thing actually delectable.
