My Mother’s family loves fruit salad. I remember the giant stoneware bowl with the blue stripe on the table at every Thanksgiving and my aunts cutting up fruit while the turkey baked.
I never could make it the way they did until I asked my Mom what goes into it. I had missed one crucial ingredient: Oregon brand Royal Anne Cherries. My Grandma used to put up her own cherries, but once she stopped doing them this was the replacement.
This recipe can truly be frugal if you get the canned fruit on sale. It is only the Royal Anne Cherries that are costly, $3-$3.50 a can. (Wegmans has them cheapest.)
So now I can share with you the famous (or not) Herring Family Fruit Salad Recipe:
- 1 can Oregon Brand Royal Anne Cherries (Wegmans and Karns carry them)
- 1 can pineapple tidbits in juice
- 1 can peaches in juice
- 1 can pears in juice
- 1/2 jar maraschino cherries – halved
- 1 can mandarin oranges in juice
- 6 fresh oranges, peeled and sectioned
- 1 lb red grapes, halved
- Sliced banana dipped in lemon to prevent browning
Mix the cherries, pineapple, peaches and pears and their juice in a large bowl. Add the maraschino cherries and about ¼ cup of their juice. Add the mandarin oranges but only add the juice if needed to cover fruit. Add the oranges and grapes. If storing, do not add the bananas until right before serving. Chill well.
The size of the cans is not really important since it is up to you how much of each fruit you want. If pieces in the can are large, cut them down to bite size. Try to get fruit in juice (with the exception of the Royal Anne and maraschino cherries) whenever possible to cut down on the sweetness. Even using small cans this recipe makes a lot.
In our house we do not put the banana in since they turn mushy and shorten the life of the fruit salad. If you won’t be eating it all within a couple days, add the banana just before serving.
