5 Fruits to Freeze So You Can Save Money in the Produce Aisle
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Saving a dollar or two on groceries is a nearly universal goal. If you find yourself constantly at the store or shelling out beaucoup bucks for food that seems to last 48 hours, you might’ve considered (or already tried) buying in bulk.
Bulk purchases of certain food items and household goods can save money in the long-term as stores sometimes offer deals when you buy larger amounts. However, it can also lead to waste as all those ingredients you purchased end up being too much to consume before they go bad.
The solution? Freezing! Whether you’re investing in a large cut of meat or overbuying berries, storing extra food in the freezer helps it last longer so you can get the most bang for your buck.
Fruits are one of the most common – and easiest – foods you can freeze so you can avoid stuffing your cart with fresh produce each time you make a trip to the store. Here are a few of the fruits that freeze best for later use.
- Grapes: Simply remove grapes from the vine, wash them, let dry then toss in a freezer-safe, zip-top bag. Thaw as needed for a sweet, easy snack or use in place of ice cubes in your favorite warm-weather drinks.
- Berries: Even easier than grapes (no vine to contend with), just wash, dry and freeze in a zip-top bag. They can go straight into delicious smoothies frozen or you can thaw for snacking or baking.
- Bananas: There are several ways to freeze bananas. The first step is always to peel them as leaving the skin on may make it trickier later to remove after the fruit is frozen. Once peeled, you can freeze whole in zip-top bags then thaw later for snacking or using in recipes. Or slice into coins, freeze on a tray and transfer to a resealable bag once frozen to use in smoothies and other sweet treats.
- Pineapple: A summer favorite! Remove the stem and skin then cut the fruit into chunks as you normally would. Arrange the chunks on a parchment-lined baking sheet and freeze before transferring to a zip-top bag to avoid the pineapple freezing in a clump.
- Oranges: Freezing oranges whole can make them a pain to peel later. Instead, remove the skin and pull apart the segments. Similar to the banana slices and pineapple chunks, arrange orange segments on a tray and freeze before moving to a zip-top bag. Thaw for a healthy snack or drizzle with melted chocolate for a truly divine treat.
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