Early Summer Fruit Salad

I remember growing up in Wisconsin, and the big deal it was every year when we could finally buy a WATERMELON. We always got one for Memorial Day. Never before. Never. Watermelon was a seasonal fruit, and was just too expensive before Memorial Day weekend. We ate watermelon all summer, and then when it went out of season, we didn't have it again until the next Memorial Day. This fruit salad is based on my mom's fresh fruit salad of those long ago summers. I've changed some things, like not adding a half cup of sugar to the mix, and using blueberries instead of bing cherries for my dark purple fruit. It really doesn't take too much prep, and can be done by a couple of people working together in the kitchen, talking while we work (because you don't have to worry about measuring or timing anything.)

 Simple, and it has some staying power in the fridge. I use:

1/2 of a medium watermelon (seedless is easier, but I like the taste of seeded)
1 cantaloupe (or muskmelon - I think they're the same thing)
3/4 to 1 pound of green grapes
1 pint of blueberries

Use a melon-baller to make bite sized balls from the flesh of the watermelon and the cantaloupe.  (Or just cut into bite sized pieces.) Put into a large bowl. Wash the grapes and cut in half. Wash the blueberries, and add to the mix. Gently stir. Let it sit for about a half hour to mix the juices.


I don't use bing cherries because they're now more expensive than blueberries, and are harder to prepare, but they can work if you wash and cut them in half. I don't use strawberries, because they go slimy overnight in this salad, and I like the leftovers for my lunch. Raspberries and blackberries would work, I think, but I like those in my shakes, and they can be expensive, too. I've used red and black grapes in this, and they're ok, too. I'm not a fan of honeydew melon, but if you are, that would probably work well in here, too, as would some small chunks of kiwi. In other words, try out some other options if you'd like.