Yummy Fruit Salad
by Eric N Gibson
Contributing Writer
It is hard to believe that 20 years ago our kids were rocking out to the sounds of “Fruit Salad” by the Wiggles. Admit it, you too caught yourself a time or two over the years humming “Yummy! Yummy!” as you cut up an apple or a melon.
Cold fruit salad is yummy yummy! It is the perfect treat on a hot summer day. And, making fruit salad with small kids was, and still is, a great way to introduce them to the basics of kitchen hygiene; hand washing and proper washing and handling of fresh produce. So break out a cutting board or two, a sharp Chef’s knife, a paring knife, a bowl big enough to run the discards to the compost pile, and a large container with a sealable lid. Clear and clean a good amount of counter space so you have plenty of room for you and your assistant (ie. the kids) to work easily. (No bumping elbows when working with knives.) And crank up some retro kid tunes because it´s time to have some fun in the kitchen making, “Yummy Fruit Salad!”
As the song says, start with some melon, add in some apples, grapes, and nectarines, some pineapple and kiwi for a tropical flare, and top it off with some berries. Start by washing your hands and then washing and rinsing the fruit. Before cutting melons be sure to wash the outside first and if you have a small produce brush, gently scrub away any dirt from the outside and rinse the whole melon under cool running water. Removing and rinsing the dirt off melons helps to prevent possible cross contamination of potentially harmful bacteria that could transfer from the outside of the melon to the edible fruit with each cut. Rinse your apples and nectarines and remove the stickers before cutting. Yes, they were grown on a tree but, you do not know where they have been between the tree and when you purchased them. (Have you ever dropped one at the store and slipped it back onto the pile when no one was looking?) Cull your berries, being watchful for those nasty rot spots that can ruin them all, and sift out the “duds.” those shriveled up hard dry Blueberries that are lurking in wait to break an unsuspecting crown. Remember, old fruit makes old fruit salad so buy the freshest ingredients. And remember to cull, wash, and rinse before trimming and cutting.
Melons are a great foundation and bulk up a fruit salad. You cannot go wrong with half a Watermelon, a Cantaloupe, and a Honeydew. These melons, at their peak, bring both subtle delicious flavor and beautiful color to fruit salad. When selecting melons remember to choose ones that are firm (no soft squishy spots) and have weight, indicating that they are not past their prime and will be more juicy. Quarter the melon then slice and use your paring knife to cut the sliced melon from the rind and into chucks.
Three or four apples are a great addition to fruit salad and selection again is key for both eye appeal and a longer lasting fruit salad once cut. Gala apples are delicious, sweet, and crisp, (even at this time of year) and they have a firm yellowish-red skin that adds some eye appeal. What I like best about Gala apples is that they do not turn brown quickly when cut like some other apple varieties. If you decide on a apple variety that turns brown fast, try this: ready a bowl of cool water and add about one or two teaspoons of lemon juice. Core and cut your apple into desired chunks, putting those chunks into the lemon water. After soaking your apple chunks for a few minutes, drain the apples and toss the chunks into your fruit salad. Your apple chunks should stay vibrant for the day or so; long enough to look good for guests.
Unlike their close cousin the Peach, Nectarines do not have that velvet fuzz making them perfect for fruit salad without peeling. Select three or four Nectarines that are firm and, using a paring knife, cut into the fruit to the pit and then cut around the circumference of the fruit. A firm fruit will usually come free of the ¨stone¨ (pit) with a twist of the two halves. Be careful if further cutting and trimming is needed to free the fruit from the stone.
Grapes, seedless red and green, are prime candidates for fruit salad but plucking grapes from the stem is tedious work so it is time to put your assistant (ie. the kids) to work. Have them free up about two or three cups of grapes from the stem, rinse them under cold water, (the grapes or the kids, your choice) drain well, and remind them to cull out the squishy ones. And be careful of spiders!
Like grapes, berries are always welcome in fruit salad. Blueberries and Strawberries are best for fruit salad as they seem to be able to take the abuse of being tossed about, better than Raspberries, a delicate, yet delicious fruit. Consider using Raspberries as a garnish just before service to maximize eye appeal while minimizing their possible quick demise under a heavy handed fruit salad mixer (ie. the kids). Remember; many stores do not keep berries under adequate refrigeration marketing them as a quick impulse sale item. Go to the produce case and dig deep for colder berries and remember to “play nice,” fill in your holes.
Known for both their flavor and vibrant color, nothing says hospitality like Pineapple, a welcome addition in fruit salad. Its bright yellow fruit is so sweet and delicious with just the right amount of tart to offer balance when paired with the sweet montage of other fruits. And perhaps some Kiwi? That delicious fruit we think of from “Down Under,” while a bit of a bother to trim, peel, and cut, is well worth the effort. It too offers a sweet tart yum and its green flesh with black seeds and white center give added eye appeal. By the way, did you know that the Kiwi was originally from China? It was not until the 1940’s that it went to New Zealand where it was commercially cultivated for export. Proper selection is again key to a lasting fruit salad so choose firm mildly fragrant fruits. Avoid squishy fruits with sticky sweet aromas as they may be too ripe for this application. With pineapple, select fruits that have an overall nicely green appearance, a mildly sweet scent, and feel firm. And there you have it, a yummy Fruit Salad.
“But wait!” you say, “What about bananas?” I say, ‘What about them?” Bananas are delicious and can be the star of their own show; pies, cakes, desserts, the occasional adult beverage, but bananas are the social pariah of a Yummy Fruit Salad. They start out looking their best but, after an hour of mixing with all those other fruits, bananas start to lose their appeal, turning all stringy, brown, and mushy. That’s when everyone ahead of you at the picnic buffet becomes a world class neurosurgeon deftly manipulating the serving spoon to circumvent those chunks of browning yellowish goo while excising out all the good stuff. I say, leave the bananas for Foster and Daiquiri!
Fruit Salad presentation is an art unto itself. You can layer each fruit into a Trifle Bowl for that true rainbow effect or toss it all together in a large salad bowl to keep pickers at a minimum. Regardless of the display you choose, Yummy Fruit Salad is easy to make, refreshing, low skill with high appeal, and there is no right or wrong. (Just remember: NO BANANA!!!) Yummy Fruit Salad is perfect for you and the kids to make together while you teach them some basics about food safety, food preparation, and sharing your time creating memories of a Simple Feast.
Enjoy!
