A summer fruit salad is a classic summertime food, made from the abundance of refreshing, flavorful fruits of the season. Easy to make, simple fruit salads make great additions to any meal and are enjoyed by everyone. Fruit is a healthful choice year-round, but most reach their peak ripeness in the summer months.
Features
A fruit salad can consist of many different colors, shapes and flavors depending on which seasonal fruits you choose. It's a simple dish that anyone can make. It's suitable for any occasion and any meal. The summer months offer the largest selection of refreshing fruits (everything from citrus to melons to pineapples), allowing for many healthy food options and dessert alternatives. As a kid friendly dish, it's easy for young ones to help make the fruit salad and enjoy eating it.
Types
You can create different types of summer fruit salads by playing with flavors and ingredients. Interchange different fruits, juices and herbs (basil, mint, citrus rind). Enjoy the multitude of flavorful, ripe fruits available in the summertime--such as plums, nectarines, peaches, berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries), kiwi, mangoes, star fruit, and melons (cantaloupes, watermelons, honeydew).
Make a "peach and strawberry fizz" salad with peaches, mangoes, strawberries, citrus segments, and zests. Marinade with a sauce made from peach schnapps, strawberry puree and simple syrup. Mix an "all-berry salad" with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries, tossed in a clover honey. Or make a "chilled melon salad" with cantaloupe, watermelon and honeydew. Top this with a fruity sorbet
Function
Be creative with your fruits! One of the benefits of a summer fruit salad is that it makes a great addition to any meal. Use your fruit mix as a parfait and add it to yogurts, as an ice cream topping, or as the innards of a pie or fruit tart. Add a couple teaspoons of sugar to your sliced fruit and let it macerate over-night to create its own juice and blend the fruit flavors of your salad.
Think of presentation and use a wide-variety of colors and flavors. Hollow out a watermelon and serve your fruit salad in the rind. Gift an edible arrangement. Use your fruits as a garnish or decoration in addition to a tasty treat.
Benefits
Eating five servings of fruit each day is recommended by the United States Department of Agriculture, and it's a part of a well-balanced diet. However, they also suggest that, if you eat more fruit, you are only adding extra health benefits to your regime.
A summer fruit salad is packed with vitamins, minerals and beneficial nutrients. Fruits are fat free but offer energy building calories, fiber and protein. They offer healthful antioxidants, daily requirements of vitamin C and average about 80 percent water, which is beneficial to keeping your body healthy and hydrated.
Potential
Fruit salads don't have to just be a summer treat, they should be a part of your year-round diet--however, the most flavorful and colorful assortment of fruits are available in the summer. Take advantage of this fact! Mix fruits you've never tried before. The guava is one of the most healthful fruits you can eat, but few have tried it. "Go green" and grow your own fruits at home; strawberries, blueberries, watermelons and apple trees are durable fruits that you can easy add to your garden (some grow over time). Ferment fruits for vinegars or wines, or simply add a few berries to a glass of champagne. Fruits are a healthy part of your daily diet and summer fruit salads make a refreshing treat for everyone.
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