Fruit as Decor

Fruit as Decor

As the weather warms back up, a ton of fruit comes back into season. Sure, you can get strawberries all year round, but they just taste so much more amazing when they’re in season. Make the most of all of the gorgeous produce turning up at your nearest grocery store by letting it do double duty as decoration.

As you’re browsing the produce section, you have to start with the fruit you and your family love to eat (no one wants to waste good food!). From there, think about the colors you want to bring into your space. Finally, consider how long your display will last. Berries will last in a display about as long as a leisurely Sunday brunch, so pick them up Saturday morning and enjoy them before you clear the table on Sunday. Apples, pears, and stone fruits like peaches and plums need to ripen at room temperature and will last that way for a few days. The same goes for tropical fruits like pineapple, mango, papaya, and bananas. Citrus can last even longer; oranges, lemons, and limes can hold up for as long as a week.

Once you’ve chosen your fruit, you need somewhere to put it! You can’t go wrong with a simple fruit bowl, especially for fruits that need to be eaten within a few days. Place them on the kitchen counter or the coffee table, right where your family will see them and be tempted to enjoy a healthy snack. For fruits with a longer shelf-life, like lemons and limes, try a display in a tall, clear vase in your dining room or entryway. Creating a display just for a special event? Lay down a clean table runner and spread out an abundance of fresh fruits of all kinds for a centerpiece that’s part of the meal.

Don’t let that fruit go to waste! It will be easy to enjoy fruit that makes a good grab and go snack like apples and bananas. But for citrus, it’s good to have a plan. Try these:

  • Flavor a pitcher of water with slices of lemon or orange
  • Warm spring day + beer + lime wedges = enough said
  • Add some zest (see what we did there?) to your cooking
  • Add slices of fruit to a cool bath for a refreshing pick-me-up on a hot day