Every so often I'll have a totally killer fruit salad or plastic container of pre-cut mixed fruit and think to myself, "MAN why don't I eat mixed fruit like this more often?!"
Then I remember why. Either it's insanely expensive, or I go overboard and get too much of it and it goes bad and makes me sad because it was still probably insanely expensive. This led me to work on this small batch fruit salad recipe that will make 2-4 servings, would be eaten within 48 hours of making it, and doesn't include the gratuitous honeydew melon chunks that no one likes anyways.
Actually, plan to make AND eat this within 48 hours of your fruit purchase. Many fruits will hold their own for longer, but others like raspberries, are basically on their way to becoming mold bombs as the cashier scans them at checkout. My theory is the checkout scanner light thing actually activates the mold growth on produce. Anyways, yeah so, the goal this year is to eat more fruit and waste less of it.
Think of this as a building block menu for your own personalized brand of fruit salad that's both uniquely you and also suited to your budget and the season. For the most part, I am recommending fruits that can be found year round without quality issues at most major grocery stores. Maybe it's not going to always be seasonal, but when it comes to getting the proper amount and variety of fruit per day, sometimes you have to sacrifice somewhere. But if you're in pomegranate season and want to throw some arils in, go for it. But don't be expecting to enjoy pomegranates and watermelon chunks at the same time of year, be reasonable.
Small Batch Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pint blueberries
- 1 pint raspberries
- 2 kiwis peeled and sliced into rounds
- 1 tangerine or navel orange
- 1 cup red grapes
- 1 cup pineapple cut into bite sized chunks
- 1 starfruit cut widthwise into little star shapes
- shredded coconut sweetened or unsweetened
- other fruits as desired, see note
Instructions
- Wash the starfruit, grapes, blueberries, and raspberries in a colander. Set aside to dry.
- Peel the tangerine and remove as much pith as possible. Cut each segment in half, width-wise.
- Peel the kiwi and slice into rounds.
- Cut the starfruit into rounds (no need to peel).
- Cut the grapes in half if you want.
- Mix in a large bowl and top with shredded coconut as desired.
- Put in a container with a tight fitting lid and refrigerate. Eat within 2 days.
Notes
Fruit Price Breakdown
These are current prices at my regular neighborhood grocery store in December 2020.
- 1 pint blueberries $3.99
- 1 pint raspberries $4.99
- 1 navel orange $1.69
- 2 kiwis $1.33
- Red grapes $4.36
- 12 ounces pre-cut pineapple $3.00
- 1 star fruit $1.50
Total = 20.86 divided by 4, that comes to $5.21 per serving.
Not bad for a luxurious fruit salad with no filler fruits! I know I've paid more for a less inspired mix at Trader Joe's and definitely more at Whole Foods. Plus I didn't use all of the grapes by a long shot, and not all of the pineapple either, so technically the cost per serving is less but that sounds like some math I am not going to do.
How Long Will Thus Fruit Salad Really Last?
It's true, expecting one person to eat this much fruit in two days is a lot, so I left one serving in a plastic airtight container in the fridge for a few more days to see how it would fare. I made the salad on a Tuesday afternoon and on a Saturday night, it was still fresh and non-slimy. Additions of other fruits may have different effects of course, but this specific combination of fruits, the integrity of my container, and having it dished out into single servings probably kept it good to go.
That being said, I would not expect any fruit salad to remain in good enough condition for more than five whole days, so try and keep your fruit eating habit up when you've got this salad in the fridge. You need your recommended daily servings of fruit anyway!
Looking for more fruit-filled recipes? Try fig pizza, orange pie, and chocolate filled strawberries!