There are pro’s and con’s to every season.  This week is a great example of a con to summer.  It is hot, it is humid, Con Ed put me on an electricity diet so we can all run our AC’s and not overtax the already overtaxed grid.

It’s days like these where we have to remember what makes summer so spectacular before we head back into the dead of winter.  The sun is up longer, I don’t need to layer up to go outside, no ice to slip and slide on, grilling and eating outside and so much more.  But, one of my most favorite pro’s of summer?  The bounty of fresh fruit available.

I learned the lesson the hard way yesterday about exercising in the heat.  I took Leeroy out for a run in the 90+ degree heat and humidity.  It was a poor decision on my part, and the dog paid for it.  Poor guy.  So today, with the forecast of another hot one, I put my bike back on the rack and decided to make myself a fruit salad.

How do you define a fruit salad?  To me, in its simplest form, a fruit salad is a collection of at least three fruits mixed together. Nothing fancy, especially if you’re a busy girl who hates fuss in the kitchen.

I had three fruits on hand today:

I had fresh figs bought yesterday at Stew Leonards:

I also bought a peach at the Apple Farm while I was waiting for Walee to be done at the groomers:

Last night, my mom also sent me home with two containers filled with watermelon she cut up for me.  Just the way I like it.  She is so good to me!  My mom’s the best 🙂

Since the peaches were more prone to browning I added a little citrus to the mix. All I had on hand was a lime and an orange. I didn’t feel like opening up a whole orange for a little of its juice, so I used the lime. I squeezed out the juice of half a lime and whisked in some homemade ginger syrup to temper the tartness:

I also zested some of that lime into the mix.  Then it got poured on top of the fruit and tossed about.  The result?

Fig Peach Watermelon Salad with a mixture of lime and ginger syrup!

It was pretty good. The lime really comes through, but isn’t mouth puker-ingly strong. I couldn’t taste the ginger, but I think the sweetness from the syrup really helped keep that lime in check. It was a refreshing and quick treat for a hot summer day!

What other fruit combinations do you like?