Building Fruit Baskets – Homemade Gift

Fruit baskets have fallen out of fashion and I am here to bring them back. They make a lovely gift for friends, neighbors, or coworkers. Because they are naturally gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and vegan, they can be enjoyed by most people on special diets. 

You can use lots of different containers for the “basket.” A nice bowl, decorative box, or basket all work well. If the container is a little too big, you can use some crumpled tissue paper to fill the bottom and then add the fruit on top of the tissue paper.

I like to add a pineapple because they add some height to the fruit basket. I like to get a pineapple that is not quite ripe. To tell if a pineapple is ripe, gently tug at a leaf. If it comes out freely and easily, the pineapple is ripe. If it does not come out or takes effort to pull out, the pineapple is not ripe. To ripen a pineapple, set it on a counter on it’s side at room temperature. Every day, rotate it so a different part of the pineapple is touching the counter. The sugars in the pineapple will sink to the bottom and you will be spread more evenly throughout the pineapple if you keep it on the side rather than standing upright.

Building Fruit Baskets - Homemade Gift

Yield: 20

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Fruit baskets have fallen out of fashion but I am here to bring them back! They are a great gift for friends, neighbors, or coworkers. Because they are gluten free, dairy free, paleo, and vegan, most people on special diets can still enjoy them.

Print

Ingredients

• Grapefruit
• Red Apples
• Green Apples
• Red Pears
• Green Pears
• Whole Pineapple
• Oranges
• Clementines

Extras

• Coffee
• Chocolate Bars
• Nuts

Supplies

• Container like basket, bowl, or decorative box.
• Large Cellophane Bag
• Ribbon
• Double Stick Tape
• Tissue Paper

Instructions

Determine how big of a basket you want to gift. This will determine the container you choose for the basket.

Buy a variety of fruits of different colors and sizes. I like to include grapefruit and a pineapple. The grapefruit work well to build up the bottom of the fruit basket and the pineapple add height.

You want to start with a container like a basket, decorative box, or bowl. Open up the cellophane bag and set the container inside the bag.

Pull down the bag so you can fill the container,

If the container is large, you may want to crumple some tissue paper to fill in the bottom.

Build the base of the fruit basket by starting with large fruit like grapefruit.

Alternating colors and types of fruit, continue adding fruit to the basket. You can use double stick tape to hold the fruit in place. Add the pineapple and any "extras" like coffee, chocolate, or nuts.

Pull up the cellophane bag and gather the top of the bag. Tie with a piece of ribbon to secure.

Notes

Fruit baskets are very flexible, You can add a variety of different fruits. It is good to vary color, size, shape, and textures.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Clear Basket Bags, 10 Pack Large Clear Cellophane Wrap for Baskets & Gifts 24"x30" 1.5 Mil Thick (10)

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 20 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 50Total Fat: 2gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 1mgSodium: 6mgCarbohydrates: 9gFiber: 2gSugar: 7gProtein: 1g

Nutrition information is provided as a courtesy and may not be completely accurate.

Marie Fiebach is a married mother of four active kids. She helps busy families plan and execute weeknight dinner so they can recapture a little calm in the crazy. You can see her every week on KAKE TV’s Good Morning Kakeland or listen to the Feed Your Family Tonight Podcast.