Fruit and Berry Salad

Fruit and Berry Salad is always best when comprised of fruit and berries that are currently in season, but there are certainly no die-hard rules; after all, rules were made to be broken! Use a sugar-free jelly to give your fruit that glossy, shiny look!

FRUIT & BERRY SALAD

When I put together this particular Fruit and Berry Salad, I choose to use only fruits and berries that I love to eat on their own. I’ve seen these types of salads with kiwi, raspberries, and even cherries. And, if you love those, you can certainly use them!

BANANAS ARE A NO-NO!

I think there’s only one general rule when it comes to assembling a Fruit and Berry Salad that should never be broken. That rule is that you should never – under any circumstances! – use bananas. Bananas become too mushy in a fruit salad and that glaze you’ve created will become cloudy and muted.

Fruit and Berry Salad is nothing difficult or special, but if you’re going to put in all of that effort into washing, peeling, and dicing, why mess it up with a mushy/cloudy glaze?

INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO PREPARE THIS RECIPE

The following is a list of the ingredients needed to prepare this Fruit and Berry Salad. For exact amounts and measurements, refer to the printable recipe card located near the bottom of this post.

• Strawberries – Try to find strawberries that are on the smaller side, because they look better when halved rather than quartered.
• Pineapple – If you’re much like me, you hate cutting up a pineapple. I don’t mind the task, I just hate filling up my compost bowl so quickly. Seriously, why is there so much waste to a pineapple? Sometimes, I buy the whole pineapple from the grocery store that has been cored and peeled. It’s easier to chop it up when I get home.
• Blueberries – This is my personal favourite of all berries!
• Grapes – For contrast in colour, I got green grapes. Be sure to buy seedless grapes!
• Blackberries – This is my second personal favourite of all berries!
• Clementines – These add a citrus flavour and they look much better than oranges, because of the size of the individual sections.
• Raspberry Jelly – Make sure it’s sugar free!
• Mint Leaves – I use these for garnish. It is optional. You can also tear them into the salad just before serving.

HOW TO MAKE A FRUIT AND BERRY SALAD

In a small sauce pan, over low heat, warm the raspberry jelly until it’s in a liquid form.  Whisk well to ensure the jelly is smooth and lump free.  Remove from heat and set aside to cool completely.

Once the berries and fruit are all washed and cut, add all of the berries and fruit to a large mixing bowl. Pour over the cooled jelly and gently tossed to combine with the fruit and berries. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Serve chilled with fresh mint leaves as a garnish.

FRUIT AND BERRY SALAD GLAZE

Speaking of glaze, this particular Fruit and Berry Salad uses the simplest glaze, and I’ve seen them all! Fruit salads which use confectioner’s sugar, agave, honey, simple syrup, etc. But, this version uses only the most pure fruit jelly that you can find.

I used raspberry jelly, because when I was shopping for fruit for this particular salad, would you believe that I couldn’t find fresh raspberries? It was probably a blessing in disguise, because raspberries can break down and become mushy quite easily too.

At least with the raspberry jelly, I got some of the flavour without running the risk of having mushy raspberries in my fruit salad. To avoid unnecessary sweetness and added sugar, try to source a sugar-free jelly.

ONE MORE RULE; BUT IT’S A GOOD ONE!

Oh, there’s one other rule that I should mention. When you heat up the fruit jelly, be sure that it is completely cooled down before adding it to your prepared fruit.

Otherwise, if the jelly is still warm (or hot!) it will most certainly not interact well with the freshly cut fruit. If you prepare this salad right, it will last for two or three days!

MORE FRUIT OPTIONS

So, what are some of the other fruits you can use in your fruit salad? You can use the obvious fruits that are commonly found in fruit salad. Can you guess what they are? Yep – cantaloupe and honeydew melon! I love both of those fruits equally, but in our home, the love for melons is divided and I’m on the losing side.

You can also use diced apples; leave the skin on for added colour and crunch. You can use diced mango too, if you like that sort of thing. (Ew!) You can also use watermelon. And, I’ve even seen fruit salad with pomegranates! Again, there are so many possibilities and there’s really no right or wrong. Just use the fruits that you love to eat – it’s that simple!

HOW TO SERVE FRUIT AND BERRY SALAD

Do you see those fruit dishes that I used in the photographs? I’m not a huge fan of them in terms of the looks department, but I love them just the same. They were my mom’s fruit dishes and I just had to use them in this post. They have been sitting in our cabinet for the past two years and it was time to bring them out and put them to use!

This Fruit and Berry Salad is a great recipe and it can be prepared at any time. But, since I am posting this fruit salad just before Mother’s Day, I thought I would remember my mom by using her old fruit dishes.

I would recommend either portioning the fruit salad out in little dishes like these for your guests, or there’s always the option of placing all of the fruit salad into a big trifle bowl and placing it right in the center of your dessert table. Let everyone fend for themselves!

Serve this fruit salad at your Mother’s Day brunch for a great finishing touch to a nice meal with your family. Try adding a spoonful of plain yogurt for a full-on dessert effect!