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Supermarket Fruit: alternative uses!

(37 Posts)
Cronesrule Tue 01-Jul-25 13:29:17

Just chiselled the flesh off a barely sweet nectarine which was sold to me as ‘ripe and ready’ to eat. Should’ve been ‘not just any nectarine’ but no. Despite price, was the usual disappointing supermarket fruit. Possible alternative use as a cricket ball. Any other ideas for unfit to eat supermarket fruit?

AmberGran Tue 01-Jul-25 13:41:35

Replace the pit in the middle with a candle. Might have to flatten the bottom as well.

Had a similar experience with some 'ripe' peaches some years ago.

Witzend Wed 02-Jul-25 15:22:13

If you’ve got a whole pack of them, I’d halve, simmer in a very little water plus orange juice, maybe add a dash of Cointreau, and serve as a nice pudding with ice cream. 😋

keepingquiet Wed 02-Jul-25 16:12:37

Smash it with some meringue and shaved dark chocolate- add nuts too if you like. I make mine with natural yoghurt but you can use thick cream too!
Smashing my supermarket strawberries right now...

Allira Wed 02-Jul-25 17:14:05

keepingquiet

Smash it with some meringue and shaved dark chocolate- add nuts too if you like. I make mine with natural yoghurt but you can use thick cream too!
Smashing my supermarket strawberries right now...

I'm imagining you with a sledge hammer beating hell out of the strawberries 😂

Shinamae Wed 02-Jul-25 17:56:20

I gave up buying peaches and nectarines many years ago, a big disappointment
When I was small well about 12, I used to work in my auntie‘s café and I remember the peaches she used to sell were huge and juicy and 6p each!
Those were the days when if somebody wanted six eggs, they were put in a brown paper bag..
Lettuce were grown by Mr. Gay in the village and were 6p each as well.
Isn’t it strange? I can remember all this from years and years ago, but I can’t remember what happened the day before yesterday. 🤷‍♀️🤗

Elowen33 Wed 02-Jul-25 18:00:55

I tend to buy fruit I want to eat now in the reduced section as it will more likely to be ripe and ready to eat, if the sell buy is a week ahead the fruit will not be ripe now.

woodenspoon Wed 02-Jul-25 18:03:29

If still hard I’d simmer in water or fruit juice and water until soft and serve with ice cream. Or bake gently in oven until soft. I find this works when I have a glut of fruit.

butterandjam Wed 02-Jul-25 18:03:59

Cronesrule

Just chiselled the flesh off a barely sweet nectarine which was sold to me as ‘ripe and ready’ to eat. Should’ve been ‘not just any nectarine’ but no. Despite price, was the usual disappointing supermarket fruit. Possible alternative use as a cricket ball. Any other ideas for unfit to eat supermarket fruit?

Put them in a bag with bananas. B's emit a ripening gas.

ferry23 Wed 02-Jul-25 18:28:21

Have a French afternoon and play boules with them in your garden? Obviously with a bottle of French Champagne. And you could always wear a beret to make it more authentic.

AmberGran Wed 02-Jul-25 19:30:20

I'm not sure fruit like that ever ripens properly - it tends to go from rock hard to runny in a matter of hours after sitting for weeks being rock hard.

I once bought some really lovely looking white flesh peaches. They were really hard and tasted disgusting. As we waited for them to ripen (in the fruit bowl) the peel suddenly turned a bit softer but slightly rubbery. The next morning they were soft and brown with very hard flesh around the stones.

ViceVersa Wed 02-Jul-25 19:34:26

I remember years ago we were in Turkey and hanging over the balcony of our apartments was a beautiful peach tree, absolutely laden with fruit. I've never tasted peaches like them in my life - the juice was running down my chin as I ate them. They were so beautiful.

Magenta8 Wed 02-Jul-25 19:37:44

I had some hairy grapes delivered yesterday. Not much you can do with mouldy fruit apart from add it to the compost heap.sad

Aldom Wed 02-Jul-25 19:44:35

I remember, fifty years ago, in the Dordogne, eating enormous peaches. Unbelievably juicy and utterly delicious. I don't buy the supermarket peaches and nectarines in the UK, there's no comparison.

AmberGran Wed 02-Jul-25 20:06:37

I rarely buy fruit from abroad anymore. It's all picked before it ripens, and is stored for months before it's artificially ripened by gases (Controlled Atmosphere) to go to the shops. Some fruit may never ripen properly, some is picked too late and ripens too fast.

Even the UK strawberries we bought last week were hard and tasteless and the bananas went from green to black in a couple of days and ended up in banana bread.

CanadianGran Wed 02-Jul-25 20:16:54

I was raised in a fruit growing area in Ontario, and in fact picked cherries, grapes and pairs as a teen. I know how lovely fresh, ripe fruit should taste! And we never had fruit in the fridge, it was always room temperature.

Living as an adult in a non-fruit growing area in northern BC now, I find all the fruit so disappointing. DH was raised with either tinned or week-old fruit due to shipping. All stone fruit is pulpy because it is ripened off the tree instead of on the tree in the sun. And he has all the fruit in the fridge, blasphemy! I take it out as I eat it, but find that all the fruit in the stores are the varieties that keep well but have little flavour.

We are headed to the Okanagan area in a few weeks, so should hit apricot and peach season, as well as the last of the cherries. I'm looking forward to it!

mrswoo Wed 02-Jul-25 20:38:08

I have nearly given up buying fruit and think anything labeled "Ripe and Ready to eat" contravenes the Trade Description Act.
But
I bought 4 nectarines from Morrison's last week which were sweet, juicy and perfectly ripe.

AmberGran Wed 02-Jul-25 20:47:38

You've hit the jackpot mrswoo - I love ripe, juicy nectarines.

Deedaa Wed 02-Jul-25 20:56:51

Peaches and Nectarines are always dodgy. Bullet hard when you buy them and in a couple of days they are a soggy mess. Nothing like the fresh ones you buy in Italy - and only half the size too! The best thing to do with them is to halve them and simmer them in amaretto. Serve them with amaretti biscuita crumbled over the top.

Jaxjacky Wed 02-Jul-25 21:18:35

I’ve had 3/4 lots of strawberries grown locally this year, yummy.

Cronesrule Wed 02-Jul-25 21:36:08

Mrswoo, I’m with you. I don’t think supermarkets should be allowed to claim ripeness when simply not true. Don’t get me started on pears either! I wonder if anyone has ever tried returning unripe fruit advertised as ripe for a refund? It’s a rip off really.

Allira Wed 02-Jul-25 22:45:29

Put a banana with them in the fruit bowl, it helps to ripen them.

Some nectarines and peaches never seem to ripen properly though, but most do.

Bestgrammaever Thu 03-Jul-25 13:42:50

Put in a paper bag and ignore for a week. If that doesn't ripen them...

Allira Thu 03-Jul-25 15:27:58

With a banana!!
Both will be so ripe they'll have to go in the compost bin 😁

missdeke Thu 03-Jul-25 16:35:14

Most supermarket fruit is tasteless and/or unripe. Apples are like chewing wood and leather and soft fruit never lasts till the best before date. Luckily my soft fruit, raspberries blueberries are all producing well so I can just pop outside and pick what I want, when I want, can't wait for the apples, pears and plums. Birds had most of the cherries. The gooseberries and Blackcurrants are just coming to an end now. I haven't bought a peach or nectarine for ages as they are always too hard or already too soft.