{"id":817,"date":"2016-07-13T09:33:00","date_gmt":"2016-07-13T09:33:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bostonzest.com\/?p=817"},"modified":"2016-07-13T09:33:00","modified_gmt":"2016-07-13T09:33:00","slug":"set-up-a-ripe-ready-fruit-bowl-to-prevent-wasted-food","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bostonzest.com\/?p=817","title":{"rendered":"Set Up A “Ripe & Ready” Fruit Bowl To Prevent Wasted Food"},"content":{"rendered":"

In our home, we have reduced wasted food by setting up a “Ripe and Ready” fruit bowl. When we began doing this, we added the ripe & ready sign to remind us to empty the bowl and then refill it. While we are scoping out the fruit supply, one of us will grab a colander<\/a>\"\" and wash a supply of berries for the day. <\/p>\n

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The first one of us who checks out the fruit supply in the morning sets those pieces that are ready to eat that day in a bowl on the kitchen counter. <\/p>\n

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We eat a lot of fruit around here. Our breakfast oatmeal may have pears, bananas, and blueberries added. Our afternoon snack plate might be a bowl of cherries and a sliced apple. A suppertime cheese tray could have a pear or some berries as an accompaniment. <\/p>\n

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We have our main supply on the baker’s rack<\/a>\"\" in our dining area. In stone fruit season, we may have an auxiliary bowl on the dining table just for ripening pieces. (The apple was added to remind us to use up the supply in the refrigerator.)<\/p>\n

This time of year, we are all tempted to buy more of the delicious local fruit and berries than we can use between market visits. The ripe and ready fruit bowl keeps us from discovering a moldy peach or mushy plum because they are usually eaten before it’s too late. <\/p>\n

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And if you do discover that too many pieces of fruit have arrived in your kitchen or that for some reason they have all decided to ripen together, make a Crostata, like the one featured in our post,<\/p>\n

Rhubarb, Ginger Crostata Recipe from Leite\u2019s Culinaria<\/a>.<\/h3>\n

You can substitute almost any fruit or combo of fruits for the rhubarb. You can also fold fruit into a bread pudding or cut up a selection, add a bit of your favorite liqueur, and refrigerate for a cooling dessert. <\/p>\n

What’s on your Food Lover’s shopping list? <\/em><\/span><\/p>\n