On Sundays after church, my brother and I hopped into Dad’s car to go straight home while Mom drove the van over to the grocery store. We had enough time to change out of our dressy clothes and pull on fuzzy slippers, but as soon as we heard the rattle of the garage door, we knew to run out and lug in the big paper bags from the trunk.
We usually had a harder time hauling in the groceries during the summer (and not because of no-school-laziness!). With so much fresh fruit on sale—peaches, strawberries, nectarines, and grapes—Mom filled the cart to the brim. While we baked pies, muffins, and pancakes with some, we all much preferred to snack on the sweet juicy fruit plain instead!
Every once in a while, Mom bought a big cantaloupe (or honeydew, after she realized she was allergic!). She’d cut it in half, slice it into chunks, and dropped it all into a tupperware container for us to pull out of the fridge and munch on throughout the day. I normally hogged it all, sitting in front of the TV watching baseball games and piercing individual pieces with a toothpick. (It had to be a toothpick—not a fork! The metal fork changed the melon’s taste. And it wasn’t as fun to eat!)
All of those memories came flooding back last weekend when I loaded up my plate with honeydew during my visit to see my parents for Sunday brunch. While incredibly tempted to snag a toothpick from the hostess stand, I managed to refrain and nibble on the fruit with a fork. (It felt so awkward!) But back at my own home, I tossed together a sweet-and-salty salad starring my favorite honeydew, with a little extra crunch from granola. And yes… I used both a fork and toothpick to eat it!
This salad is the perfect combination of sweet and salty, juicy and crunchy. But if making it ahead, wait until serving to sprinkle the granola on top!
- Toss together the honeydew and ham in a medium bowl. Sprinkle with the cheese and granola, and serve immediately.
This looks amazing, I love honeydew salads (I’ve just eaten a gigantic bowl and I still want more haha). I don’t like eating fruit with a metal fork, either… the metallic aftertaste isn’t something that pairs well with fruit, is it? That’s why I always use a plastic one 😉
A plastic fork — that’s so smart! I need to start keeping those around. Thanks for the tip!
Yum! That sounds like a great combo… I’m such a sucker for sweet and salty- and honeydew! Funny about your toothpick story 🙂
Thanks Andrea! We both know I’m pretty quirky sometimes… 😉