When was the last time you had a fruit salad?
Maybe I’ve been listening to The Wiggles “Fruit Salad” song a hundred times too many, but nobody seems to make fruit salad anymore – except on kids TV. We still serve fruit, but it’s just a bowl of grapes or cut up melon – nothing more.
How lonely.
Somehow, when you combine sweet strawberries, plump peaches, tart blueberries, cherries and watermelon, you’ve got a colorful ending to a delicious Shabbat meal. Unlike the leftover babka that mercilessly tempts me and my preferred dress size, I feel great about grabbing a guilt-free bowl of leftover sliced and diced fruit sitting in the fridge.
With the winter cold season knocking on the door, I love the idea of boosting my family’s immune system. A variety of fruits are loaded with vitamin C, vitamin E, carotenoids and more antioxidants that will improve your body’s fight against a cold. They are also full of fiber and surprisingly full of water (80%), both make them the perfect nutrient dense food for anyone. They give your body energy, fluid and they keep you full.
But no one is getting enough fruit in their diet.
But dress it up a little so it is an enticing dessert that you can enjoy all week. Combining seasonal fruits with fresh herbs and low alcohol dessert wine or citrus juices and a little honey totally transforms the dish and gets everyone excited about fruit again.
True confession: when I first tested these fruit salad recipes I thought, no one is going to eat this but me and maybe I could get hubby on board since he only eats fruit if it is cut up for him, but to my amazement I found myself fighting with my kids for the last bite…
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So here are some takes on fruit salad for every season. It’s easy to make fruit salad when every fruit is in season, but even in Fall and Winter you can make a great variation.
7 Fruit Salads For Every Season
Use dried figs if you can’t find fresh figs.
How do you like to mix your fruit up?
I had a great fruit salad over Rosh Hashana – sent over by a neighbor. A container of frozen strawberries and fresh grapes, apples and plums, mixed together with a container of Pareve Whip poured over the top. The whip gave it an extra zing.
My mother made fruit salad for any celebration. Always rave reviews. Depending upon the season the ingredients would change. I try to make fruit salads too but not as often as my mom did.
Frozen unsweetened strawberries-always
Blueberries,
Canned pineapple in natural juice
Grapes-sliced in half
Grapefruit segments
Orange segments
Tangerine segments-if in season
Kiwi
Maraschino cherries
Sometimes Mandarin oranges-drained
Peaches sliced
Plums-sliced
Apricots-fresh sliced or if canned drain & rinse off sugar
Fresh melon balls
Pears sliced if in season
Combine & chill
I love fruit salad and usually serve it as dessert if we had a heavy meal. I always make it for Shavuot and this is what I do:
pineapple chunks
mandarin oranges
halved green grapes
sliced bananas
maraschino cherries
diced unpeeled apples
grated coconut
walnut or pecan halves
Dressing:
4 oz. cream cheese
2 TB sour cream
2 cups cool whip
Blend and mix with fruit.