The only time I walked into a shop where they specialize in edible arrangements to see a fruit bouquet I had such horrible  ‘price sticker shock’ that it felt like an allergic reaction and I simply walked out clutching my purse. 🙁

But I really, really wanted one. it seemed like the perfect decoration and dessert for Mother’s Day.

I determined to make it myself.  It seemed simple: I knew it took fruit, bamboo skewers, and cookie cutters.  I could do this.

Making the Edible Fruit Bouquet

Melons and pineapples are best for making the larger flowers and strawberries make sweet rosebuds.  using a pear for smaller shapes I then used grapes, blueberries and kiwi as accents and filler.  Adding a bit of curly parsley as greenery gave the illusion of leaves. I put a Styrofoam block I picked up at the dollar store in the bottom of my vase to push the bottom of the skewers into and make the whole thing stable.

The most difficult part was deciding how to cut up the fruit.  What worked best for me was to peel it whole and then to get as many 3/8-1/2 inch thick, large slices as possible from the melons and pineapple.  I then use the smaller bits with smaller cookie cutters.  I used the scraps as a fruit salad the next day.

If you choose to make the fruit bouquet the night before, be certain the any delicate white fruit like pear, bananas or apple have been bathed in an ascorbic acid solution such as ‘Fruit Fresh’. This prevents browning. Lightly cover the bouquet with plastic wrap so the fruit doesn’t dry out and put it in the fridge till serving time.

It’s a great holiday breakfast surprise and I’ve served the fruit bouquet to company as part of the appetizers. It’s a project kids enjoy helping complete — with a bit of adult supervision.

I loved making this bouquet and I saved a tidy 75% over the ‘store bought’ version. Yay.