Spend less, shop smart: Fruit

It’s recommended we eat at least two servings of fruit a day. Here’s how to get your fruit without breaking the budget.

• Choose seasonal fruit. There’s a reason grapes and peaches are expensive in winter – they have had to come a long way to get to your supermarket.
• Buy local when you can – for the same reason. Supermarkets and fruit and vege shops are making more effort these days to tell you whether your tomatoes come from New Zealand or abroad.
• Scan the freezers. Frozen berries, in particular, can be a great year-round addition to baking and smoothies, and just a few berries can add lots of flavour.
• Canned fruit is a good thing to have on hand and is just as healthy as fresh fruit – if you choose no-added-sugar varieties and drain the juice. They’re often on special, so stock up when you spot these.
• Apples are a great, inexpensive option for most of the year. Prices vary by variety, so scan the shelves for cheaper options. Most apples on our shelves are NZ-grown.
• Bananas are usually imported, but they are a cheap, good staple to add to your weekly shop.

Clever ways to make the most of cheap fruit

• Add a handful of frozen berries to a basic apple crumble for extra interest and an antioxidant boost.
• Use canned fruit, like peaches and pears, in smoothies. Combine with yoghurt, milk, oats and a banana for a tasty breakfast.
• Keep chopped-up fruit in the fridge in a plastic container, ready for instant snacking.
• Make fruit kebabs for dessert. Use chunks of orange, apple, banana and kiwifruit on skewers. It’s amazing how much more appealing this makes fruit to adults and kids alike.
• Try a plate of chopped fruit after a meal for the family to graze from.
• Add sliced apples, pears and oranges to pre-dinner platters and cheese boards.
• Get into preserving. If you know how, when you see super-cheap fruit, buy up large and bottle or freeze it for future use.