Stick of buying fruit from supermarkets that is green one minute and rotten the next!

[CADS]

Hi

As the title says.

We don't have any fruit markets near us so we have to buy our fruit and veg from supermarkets, mainly sainsburys.

Brought some avocados and paw paws on sunday which were still a little green. Put them in the fridge yesterday as they were starting to look rotten on the outside. Went to use them today and avos were still mainly green inside and paw paws were rock hard (couldn't even scoop out the inside with a spoon). So once again more wasted fruit and money.

DCs can't live on apples and bananas alone.

So the question is: If we went into London to get some fruit from fruit markets (could only do this once a month) could I freeze the fruit if I brought in bulk.

Mainly, talking about things like mangos, paw paw, avo, kiwis, etc

Thanks

Hmm, I'm not sure that any of those would freeze that successfully as they're pretty soft to start with. What about getting a fruit bag or box delivered weekly or every couple of weeks from Abel & Cole or Riverford?

I would second the delivery idea. If you don't have access to good fruit and veg locally, then its the next best thing. Once a week delivery should keep you in enough fruit - and good quality too!

Thanks. I will look into it. Money is a bit tight now and I was under the impression the fruit boxes are very expensive. Can you pick the fruit you want? I don't want to be sent the same things over and over again.

i also hate their tactic of mixing in a couple rotten ones in a bag of "50% free"

trying to buy more fruit and veg from the nearest greengrocers.

the thing with avocados and pawpaws in this country is that they have to be picked green from the field. sometimes they are green and not mature enough to be picked and left to ripen off the tree which is why the go from green to rotten. it is a matter of developing an eye for what we call at home a 'full' fruit. With avocados, we always shake them to see if the seed is free moving inside. that is how you tell a full avocado. with bananas - that there are no sharp lines where the skin naturally tears and with lemons and limes that the skin is less dimpled and more smooth. with pawpaws i would also look at how rounded the fruit is. the more 'corners' they have, the less 'full' it would have been at picking time.

hope you haven't glazed over by the end.

mangoes i can tell but is trickier and harder to describe. what i normally do with mangoes is wait till they go on offer because they are ripe. if they are ripe looking with wrinkly skin the quality will not be as good as ripe with a perfectly full and smooth cheeks. they will be cheaper too. after a while with a bit of trial and error, you will be able to sort out the mangoes that won't go rotten on you.

wow kiskidee, where did you learn all that? wish I was that expert.

Cant really suggest anything CADS, apart from trying to find a fruit market nearer to you. If you're near London, shouldnt be too much of a problem? Maybe the area where you live is too posh. You need a place full of first generation immigrants, they tend to bring their high eating standards with them!
If you're west of London, there are good fruit markets in Slough, Houslow sort of areas.

grew up in the caribbean where just about everyone had fruit trees in their gardens. we would go from garden to garden like a troop of monkeys foraging thru the fruit trees in the summer and easter hols. aaahhh, bliss.

how lovely. ex-h has a garden full of fruit trees, so my children get to do that too, but not in UK of course!