Fresh fruit bouquets are all the rage these days. They are healthy, great looking, and relatively low priced. Buying a fresh fruit bouquet isn’t difficult, and many different business exist that specialize in creating edible fresh fruit bouquets. I think buying one takes all the fun out of it, however. Learning how to make a fresh fruit bouquet can be fun and will be a rewarding experience Arance. Giving a loved one a gift of a homemade edible fresh fruit bouquet must certainly be a satisfying experience, for both you and the recipient. It’s also a healthy way to say “I love you”. In this article I hope to use my culinary expertise to show you how to make a fresh fruit bouquet.
What You’ll Need
- Fresh pineapple
- Fresh cantaloupe & honeydew melon
- Fresh grapes
- Fresh strawberries
- Stainless Steel Ridge Knife
- Bamboo skewers
- Melon baller
- Kitchen shears
- Chef’s knife or other sharp knife for cutting fruit
- Cookie cutters (floral shape & star shape)
- Cutting board
- Mug, bowl, vase, basket, or ceramic pot
- Floral foam
Assembling The Bouquet
Now that you have cut and prepared all of the fruit, it’s time to assemble your edible fresh fruit bouquet. You’ll need your “vase”, floral foam, bamboo skewers, and cut fruit to prepare your fruit bouquet. You’ll also need a little bit of creativity!
- Place your floral foam into your container. If you don’t have any floral foam, you can use a head of iceberg lettuce as long as your fruit bouquet isn’t going to go unrefrigerated for long.
- Cut the bamboo skewers into different lengths. The idea is to achieve that “bouquet” look, and to do so you’ll need to put your fruit at different heights. The best way is to put the shorter pieces on the outside and build higher as you get to the center.
Before you start to skewer your fruit, try to envision what you want your bouquet to look like. Make sure you put an assortment of fruits on both the long and shorter skewers. For instance, don’t put all of the strawberries on the long skewers and all of the pineapple flowers on the short skewers. The idea is to have a variety.
- The first fruit that I usually set up is my pineapple flowers. Skewer them in the center so that the skewer is protruding 1-2 inches through the pineapple. Place a melon ball of your choosing on the protruding piece so that the pineapple now look likes a flower with the melon as it’s bud.
- Next you’ll want to skewer your strawberries. Skewer them through the cut side and so that the point is facing up. Don’t push too hard. you want the skewer to stop about halfway through the strawberry for a secure hold.
- The next step is to skewer your grapes. Put 5-7 grapes on the same skewer. They will look like greenery, stems, or twigs.
- Once you have skewered all of your fruit, it’s time to arrange it. As I said earlier, you’ll want to build outward with the tallest pieces being in the center. Push your skewers far enough down into your foam so that they stand straight and don’t flop to one side or another. Have a good time with it. This is the fun part!
- Give it to someone you like!
Well, that’s it in a nutshell. These are the main steps but you’ll need to practice a few times before it comes out looking really good. Remember, this is an art form. With a little creativity and imagination, you’ll be making beautiful fresh fruit bouquets in no time!