Fruit Salad Part 2 - Preparing the Fruit

Hi,

Now that you have some idea how to pick ripe fruit, it's helpful to know how to prepare the fruit. For all the fruit when I say, "cut from end to end," I mean to cut through the stem end and the opposite end from the stem to create two halves.

Strawberries - Rinse, Cut off green top, Slice, halve or quarter depending on size.
Kiwi-Peel with a paring knife. cut in half from end to end and then slice.
Blueberries - Rinse and remove stems and debris

Watermelon - If you are preparing the whole thing. Cut in half, end to end, put cut side down and cut 2 inch slices. Take each slice, lay them down flat and make straight cuts around the edge to remove the rind. Then cut watermelon into 2 to 3 inch cubes. (I tried once to use a melon baller and I thought it just wasn't practical.)

Cantaloupe- Cut in half, end to end. Scoop out the seeds and mushy part from the middle. Slice into wedges and remove rind. Cut wedges into manageable sized pieces.

Grapes- Remove from stem and wash. These are easy, but grapes are usually pretty expensive.

Oranges - I like to cut the orange in half, end to end. The with cut end down cut the ends off and cut remaining piece into 3 slices. The goal is to cut across the segments so that the slice will look like a wheel with radiating spokes. Make straight cuts to remove peel, try not to waste a lot of the orange. They I usually cut the slice into 2 or 3 pieces.

Pineapple - I lay the pineapple down and cut off the top. Then I cut the pineapple into 1 1/2 inch slices. Take a slice, lay it down flat and making straight cuts around the edge remove the outside. I don't mind the "eyes" or the core, so I actually don't cut them out. After you have removed the outside cut the slice into wedge shaped pieces.

That's how I cut up fruit. On the easier side to prepare are blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and on the harder side are oranges and kiwi. I think melons and pineapple fall somewhere in the middle because of their size. You get a lot of fruit for the amount of prep work.

The next installment I'll write about how to pick fruit to make an aesthetically pleasing salad.

Hope all your recipes come out delicious!

Hugs,
Mameekosan  :  )