Fruit Question

[darkling]

I live out in the boonies so when I don't get to go grocery shopping very often. Usually about once every two weeks, actually.

Obviously fresh fruits and veggies don't stay fresh for that long and while I don't mind eating canned fruits and veggies after my fresh stuff is all gone, I'm wondering what a good solution for a birdie would be.

I've never frozen fresh fruits and veggies before. What are they like when they thaw? Are they still appetizing? Or if I rinsed the salt/sugar off canned fruits and veggies, are they safe for birdie?

When I had a lory I used to put fruits and/or veggies in a blender, make a puree and then freeze it into cubes. Each day when she went on her play stand, she'd get a cube as a treat. This time around I'm getting a conure but would the same apply?

 

[andrea.faerie]

I'm going to make fruit smoothie cubes for Lucy You can freeze most fruits I think, I'll eat just about anything so I don't mind the slight change in texture etc.

 

[Abzeez]

I personally wouldn't feed canned fruit, even rinsing isn't going to get all the sugar out. I use frozen veggies, my parrots love those. I have never tried the fruit. We also live in the middle of no mans land, so I just buy hearty fruit, like apples and pears, they seem to last longer in the fridge. Then I buy strawberries etc more as a treat.

 

[Sabbath]

You can normally keep oranges/apples fresh for 2 weeks if you keep them in a good frig. That what I do and haven't had a problem yet(Haven't given any food to the bird but the fruit was still edible is what I mean)

 

[darkling]

I had apples and pears for Hannibal but my oranges and bananas always got mushy and gross. If I wouldn't eat I wouldn't feed it to him either.

 

[Sabbath]

Not sure what you fridge looks like but most have little bottom drawers(sp?) with a nob that you turn to veggies to fruits.

That may help, I've never tested it but whenever I put my fruits in the fruit drawer they never went bad till about the 3rd week.

Bananas i'm not sure though, I've never kept those in a frig and they normally only last a week.

 

[darkling]

I have fruit drawers. lol

They didn't seem to work as well for me. Maybe I'm doing it wrong?

My mom has these green bags she puts everything in. She says they're designed to keep fruits and veggies fresher? Are they safe for parrots though? I don't know if they actually do anything to the food.

 

[Abzeez]

Oranges and my fridge aren't friends. Apples, pears, peaches, and nectrines seem to do OK.

 

[xreinx]

I live in the middle of nomans land too, Ive learned that bananas live in the fridge just fine, the colder the better. you Can freeze oranges (whole) if you dont mind them getting just a bit soft after thawing. Apples last forever, pears can go bad if your not careful, but Id do the Icecube thing, not only is it portion control, it keeps fruits of all kinds from going bad before their time, just remember, after freezing anything, It wont last more then 5 to 6 hours.

 

[Garnet]

I buy frozen veggies for my flock as well as frozen blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, mango, peach, strawberries, etc. When fruit isn't in season they love the frozen stuff. I give it to them frozen and they seem to love it that way, but sometimes I will let it thaw for about an hour, then dish up some for everyone. Veggies I heat before giving to the birds. I don't give them anything canned. It is impossible to get all the salt and sugar out of canned veggies or fruit.

 

[darkling]

Can you buy fresh fruit and freeze that without pureeing it? Like, just cut it up and freeze it? Or do you have to do anything special to it?

 

[Sabbath]

Depends, oranges you can just freeze whole but pears you have to cut into slices than freeze.

Maybe your frig fruit drawer is broken? All I know is it makes it a certain humidity that helps keep everything fresh. Either way, freezing most fruits is fine, the only fruit I recommend not freezing is an apple.

 

[darkling]

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

 

[HRH Di]

Okay...technically fruit shouldn't be refrigerated except grapes. Freezing fruit works - even bananas, but some of it may be mushy when it's thawed. Wash and prepare just as you would if you were feeding it right away. I'd recommend getting those little Glad or Ziploc plastic containers that are freezer safe - I think there are some that are about 1/4 cup or so - then put small qualitities in them and freeze them. You could also double- or triple - bag the little zipper snack bags. With containers that small you may want to use gallon zipper bags or a large container to keep everything together and easy to find.

Our freezer is full of bidie stuff too...pellets, seed mix, sprout mix, birdie bread, etc.

 

[xreinx]

technically, but when you live in the bush for 3 to 6 months at a time, you have to make fruit last, everything can be refrigerated, ours lasts a good 6 to 8 weeks before we eat it all but then again we have a good refrigerator. but if your going to keep fruit for your bird, Id freeze it, humans can stand washing mold off your grapes or eating slightly old fruit, birds need it fresh.

 

[Amber]

I don't have a car so I rarely get to the store since the buses in my city are so unreliable and it's an hours walk to the nearest store. I buy lots of frozen veggies (Alex loves the frozen peas carrot and corn mix and it lasts forever) some apples, nashi fruit, pears and passion-fruit etc to last him until next week. I'll also get him a treat when shopping like strawberries or a banana, but they only last a few days. I deliberately try to buy things slightly unripe so they will take longer to ripen then start to decay, rather then buying something already ready to wilt and die

Good long life birdy fruit is (for me anyway) apples, nashi, passionfruit (in fridge will keep for weeks) oranges, pears, mandarin and kiwi fruit. I buy pretty much all my veg frozen just because it's easier for me and the bird.

 

[Abzeez]

Okay...technically fruit shouldn't be refrigerated except grapes.

And why is that?

 

[Sabbath]

Okay...technically fruit shouldn't be refrigerated except grapes.

And why is that?

Vitamin and general sweetness dull down

 

[mnsalani]

Another option is to get these green bags/tupper-ware that absorb the gases or something that make fruit/veggies rot quickly. They really work & usually will even keep bananas fresh for about a week longer. We wash em out and reuse them so you'll only need a couple.

 

[HRH Di]

Okay...technically fruit shouldn't be refrigerated except grapes.

And why is that?

Vitamin and general sweetness dull down

Exactly...and flavor and texture isn't them same with refrigerated fruit. This is really just a culinary thing...not exactly a food safety thing. I spent waaaaaaaay too many years in the restaurant industry and have some biases about how food is prepped and stored. I'm trying to curb my food snobbiness, but old habits die hard.