Ah, Summer days. The sun is shining,the birds are chirping, it's the time of year when the only thing that could ruin your day is... a box of mushy strawberries??

It's happened to the best of us -you get a little too excited about all the in-season fruit at the Farmer's Market and purchase way more than you can eat in a week. By the time you remember to eat those strawberries, they look like they've seen much better days. What do you do? Toss 'em? Compost 'em?

We say turn them into overripe rainbow popsicles! This all-season treat uses up overripe fruit to create a sweet & healthy snack.

Serves 8

Ingredients

• 8 strawberries
• large handful of blueberries
• 1 mango, peeled and pitted
• 2 kiwis, peeled
• 2 cups water

Directions

In a blender, add 1/2 cup of water (adjust amount as needed) and strawberries. Puree until a liquid consistency is reached. Spoon a couple tablespoons of the strawberry puree into each popsicle mold (plastic cups and ice cube trays are great substitutes of you don't have a popsicle mold on hand). Repeat this step with each fruit type, layering the puree until the mold is full. Add popsicle sticks. Place the mold into the freezer for at least 5 hours. Enjoy!

40% of food in America is waste - that means the water, labor, fuel, money, and love that went into making that food is wasted too. Be a part of the change by using creative recipes like this one to use up leftovers and overripe produce.

Remember: Overripe is not the same as contaminated or moldy. Trust your senses when making the call on whether food is safe to eat. 


For more resources and tips like these, visit savethefood.com and follow City of Ventura Environmental Sustainability Division on Facebook and Instagram at @sustainableventura