Fruit Salad Part 3 - Putting it together

Hi,

I like to pick fruit for a fruit salad depending on what's available and ripe. Also, I like to consider color, shape and size. One way to start is to pick a fruit to act as the base. I usually pick something like watermelon, cantaloupe, or pineapple, something that's big enough and not too fussy to cut up. Once you have picked the base, then you can add a fruit that will be contrasting in color and shape. Recently I made a big watermelon, blueberry, and kiwi fruit salad. The pink, blue and green complemented each other. And with the larger watermelon pieces, medium sized kiwi slices and small round blueberries, there was a good bit of contrasting sizes and shapes.

Here's some other combinations that work well together:

Cantaloupe + Green or Red Grapes + Strawberries
Pineapple + Oranges + Blueberries 
Watermelon + Green grapes + Strawberries

If you have the time, you can always add a fourth or fifth fruit. Apples and pears can be added as well to any of the salads. The only special thing about apples and pears is that they tend to discolor. To prevent this, after cutting, sprinkle the cut fruit with fresh lemon or orange juice. The citrus will prevent the discoloration, which isn't very appealing.

I hope these tips will give you confidence to put together a terrific fruit salad. Especially in the summer there are so many ripe fruits to choose from! Happy fruit salad.

Hugs,
Mameekosan 

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  :  )

Fruit Salad Part 1 - Picking Ripe Fruit

Hi,

I once had someone ask me in the grocery store, "How do you make a fruit salad?" She wasn't kidding, she just didn't know. Once I thought about it, I realized that there's lots of stuff to know about making a fruit salad.

The first step is selecting fruit that's ripe. Here's a list of potential fruit for a fruit salad and what to look for. If it's not ripe, it won't be good.

Strawberries - Deep red, unblemished, not moldy, fragrant
Kiwis - Firm-not squishy-but not rock hard, unblemished
Blueberries - Deep purple, unblemished, not squished

Watermelon - Light yellow spot where melon sat, tight rind that gives a ringing sound when thumped
Cantalope - Yellow color overall with very little green, will give slightly to pressure at stem end
Grapes - Firm - not mushy, unblemished

Oranges - Thin rind-not spongy when squeezed, heavy weight
Pineapple - This is one I'm still working on, maybe the ones available here just aren't that ripe

I think the fruits listed above are excellent to include in a fruit salad. In Fruit Salad Part 2, the rest of the stuff you'll need to know to put together a delicious fruit salad.

Hope you're eating your fruits and vegetables!

Hugs,
Mameekosan  :  )