While picking up some groceries, I was happy to find out that the Whole Foods was honoring the tax day, with a promotion called “Tax Relief Deal”. The best deals were on perishables, like seafood, meat and fruits, which were “progressively” discounted up to 30%.
Image based on photo by MoneyBlogNewz
As you are probably aware, the Whole Foods often charges a premium for these items. Naturally, I felt inclined to maximize the value while eating healthy. A surplus of antioxidants was exactly what my body needed after a grueling run through the Mount Vernon trail.
I have always liked fruit salads at picnics and outside luncheons. On this balmy spring day, I thought about giving it a shot. I wanted to drift away from the everyday American variety of cantaloupes and watermelons — instead experiment a bit with the exotic ingredients. Ah those mangoes looked delicious and the blackberries looked like vines on a Lilliputian island. I had to include those.
List of Fruit Salad ingredients
1 red apple (Chilean)
1 mango
2 oranges
5-8 blackberries
12-15 seedless grapes
1 small pack of raisins
Newman’s Own Raspberry & Walnut Dressing
First, I thinly diced the apple and placed them on a clean bowl. The apple was sweet to the taste and smelled delicious.
Next I cut the strawberries into triangular little pieces and placed them on the bowl.
Next I peeled the mango and chopped them into slender little pieces. The mangoes were firmer than the Indian variety and were easy to work with. They were not juicy as their South Asian counterparts and a bit sour in taste. I wondered how they would turn out in my fruit salad.
Up next, were the blackberries and the oranges. I am a big fan of citrus fruits because they are oozing with antioxidants, but I was rather disappointed with the quality of the oranges. No wonder they were the cheapest item on the menu. You get what you pay for. I took extra care to remove all the white pith on the oranges, despite knowing that they are a rich source of fiber. Taste prevails sometimes.
The blackberries, on the other hand, were my favorite ingredient. But at $4.00/case, you need to exercise a bit of restraint. They go perfectly when served chilled.
Up next, I decided to throw in some grapes and raisins. The grapes were the best of its kind – succulent, sweet and ready to provide you with a burst of flavonoids and other phytochemicals. Their cousins, the raisins, were however of the generic variety obtained from CVS. I was amazed to find out that they were still “fresh” even after months of storage under room temperature. Wonder what types of preservatives and how much of each has been added in each box. I guess a few morsels won’t kill me after all.
As for the dressing, I decided to go with Paul Newman’s Own Raspberry & Walnut Dressing. Add a few tablespoons, stir the fruit amalgamation around a few times and chill the whole thing in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes.
As the fruit was chilling, I tried a tiny portion with a small cup of Greek yogurt. It was delicious.
As I ploughed through my fruit salad, my mind veered off to the trails. I thought of all the orchids, the yellow daisies and the white cherries that are blooming along the trail, signaling the arrival of spring. Every time I pass through, I want to nibble at the flowers! Although they look so damn tasty, I bet they are not as delectable as my fruit salad. 
