I always have extra fruit lying around, and I really hate to waste food. I also had a friend of mine recently ask me for ideas to get rid of fruit before it spoiled. I don’t know why I didn’t think of this post a while ago considering this is a weekly, robotic thing for me to do.

Here are my 20 ways to use fruit before it spoils.

1. Make pectin less jam
2. Make Compote
3. Turn it into fruit butter.
4. Make salsa or chutney
5. Dry them for a snack for later.
6. Cut it up and freeze it for a later time.
7. Cut it up and freeze it into smoothie packs. I have a smoothie shelf in the freezer in my kitchen. I currently have packages made for green smoothies and Orange Creamsicle smoothies. Smoothies on demand and the fam can do it all by themselves!
8. Bake it into something, like muffins, or cake, pies or quick breads, just a few examples.
9. Make pancakes with X fruit here.
10. Make marinade or salad dressing.
11. Make Sauce! (Apples aren’t the only thing you can turn into a sauce!)  (How to coming soon!)
12. Turn it into juice (can be done with the peels and cores while making your sauce.) (How to also coming soon!)
13. Can it!
14. Make Baked Oatmeal
15. Make Sorbet Simple but time-consuming due to the freezing process. 5 cups of fruit and simple syrup. (1 cup water to 1 cup sugar, simmer over medium heat until sugar melts, takes about 5 minutes.) Combine fruit and syrup into a blender, add the juice of half of a lemon, blend… If you have an ice cream maker, churn it. If not, pour onto a parchment lined rimmed cookie sheet, freeze for half an hour, stir to break up, freeze, repeat. Takes about 4 hours and will keep in the freezer for about a month (if it lasts that long!) To server, let it stand out a few minutes so that it is scoopable. Grapefruit and mint is a family favorite.
16. Make Popsicles. Pretty simple to do, puree the fruit, add a squeeze of lemon, pour into popsicle molds. Freeze. A favorite in my house is watermelon and cucumber.
17. Make fruit ice cubes! Cut fruit into sizes that will fit your ice-cube tray, fill with water, freeze. Use these in your beverages (tea and water are a favorite).
18. Make aqua fresca or Tea Fresca Add cut up fruit to the bottom of a pitcher, muddle it a bit to release some extra juice, add water or brewed tea, let steep over night in the fridge.
19. Share it with a friend This is something you really want to do before it starts looking spoiled. Remember, sharing is caring!
20. EAT IT! Just do it.. you know you wanna!

How do you use up fruit before it spoils? Give us the details in the comments section below!