4 Different Ways to Use Up a Glut of Fruit from Your Garden

Whenever you have a garden, even if you are the most experienced gardener alive, you will be focusing on scarcity for those crucial months before you start to see results. But what happens whenever your garden doesn’t just produce fruit, but over produces so much fruit you can’t even think about eating it all before it starts to go bad.

Well, there are a lot of different ways to use up a glut of fruit from your garden that don’t involve the compost bin, and here are some of those ways!

Donate Or Sell It

If you make too much fruit, why not go down to the local farmer’s market or get on the internet and sell the fruit?

People love freshly grown garden fruits, and people love eating healthier so you are bound to make some sales! Or you can donate the excess to a local food bank in order to make sure that it goes to the people who would really need it.

Preserve It

Pickling, jam making, or just good old freezing are some of the ways that you can preserve the foods that you really enjoy later in the year. Depending on what you grow some of these processes might be better than others, but you can easily store all your stuff so it won’t go to waste and will last a very long time.

Plus, preserving your fruits gives you some brand new options whenever it comes to what you can cook with them. Turn your strawberries and raspberries into jams, or your peaches into preserves and then use them in recipes during the next season!

Learn How To Make Drinks With A Brewery

Of course, fruit isn’t always food, but it can also be an ingredient in various drinks such as cocktails. If you don’t want to learn how to make your favorite fruity cocktails yourself, you can always consider joining your local brewers guild and they can take your produce off of your hands.

Especially if you happen to own a brewery as well, because having a guild watching your back means that your rights are protected and your local products can be promoted much more than if you and your brewery were working alone. Plus, if you have a brewery, you know the benefits of having fresh fruit in your drinks!

Bake With It!

You have probably heard the phrase ‘If Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade’ and the same logic applies to other fruits! If life gives you apples, make apple pie for instance! There are tons of fruity dessert recipes that you can try, and it is a great way to use up all that fruit!

Or if you aren’t the biggest fan of having a lot of different sweet dishes lying around your home, then you need to get some savory recipes up and start making them. Don’t be afraid to experiment with different cuisines and cultures, because you will find some wonderful and very fruity tastes once you start needing to use up all that fruit.

Think Outside The Box To Trim Down Your Fruit Stockpile

As you can see, having a surplus of fruit isn’t a problem if you know what to do with it. Whether you bake it, brew it, or donate it to people who will use it, you can continue to get a lot out of your garden long after the harvesting season has passed on. Think outside the box, experience new flavors, and come up with some creative ways to use your fruit!

Hafsa Khan

Hafsa Khan, a graduate of the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a Master's in Agricultural Science, has dedicated over 15 years to agricultural research and education. She joined our editorial team in 2021 after a significant tenure as a research scientist focused on sustainable vegetable farming techniques. She is a prolific writer on food security and sustainable farming methods. Hafsa is not only passionate about her work; she's also an avid cook who enjoys experimenting with the flavors of different heirloom vegetables in her kitchen.

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