This incredible, refreshing salad is filled with fresh berries and yummy pineapple to combine the perfect fruit salad for summer!
Hey, y'all! Last weekend we went camping in Southern Georgia at a little park called Laura S. Walker State Park. If you know anything about the south in the summer- you know it is h-o-t, hot, hot, hot. We decided it would be fun to head on up to the park to go camping and spend all day relaxing in the lake. Sounds fantastic right? Well...I had one look at the lake and decided there was no way in hell I was swimming in that gator infested lake. Our campground was right across from the Okefenokee Swamp aka Gator Heaven. This Florida girl knows when it isn't a good idea to hop into a body of water.
Rather than spending all day playing around in the lake, I just sat around all day staring it at. Okay, so it's not as boring as it sounds, it was actually quite relaxing.
One of my favorite things about camping is the food, because duh, I'm a total foodie. It's my favorite thing about anything! But since it's frowned upon to sit around and eat s'mores all day, we had to come up with some alternatives. When I camp, I like to premake salads at home, stuff them into a gallon size bag (because I'm totally classy) or a mason jar, pop them into the cooler and pull them out when we're ready for them. It makes life so much easier making everything at home!
For this camping trip I made Southern Corn with Milk and Honey, Pasta Salad, my favorite Nana's Ranch Oyster Crackers, Cowboy Caviar, sangria and this delicious fruit salad. I will say that this salad is much prettier when you eat it right away. We ate it the next day and it was a delicious purple mess. It wasn't nearly as pretty as it was the day before, but it still tasted incredible. We actually used the juices to make margaritas and oh-my-goodness they were AMAZING!
Not wanting to make a trip to the store, I hit the refrigerator for all of the ingredients. We had a ton of blackberries left over from our visit to the farm the weekend before. We also had some strawberries and raspberries that would be fantastic in the salad. I added in a can of pineapple to add some color. Of course, it wouldn't be a salad without a dressing so I combined sugar with two secret ingredients to make the most fabulous salad! The secret to this fruit salad is vanilla and mint! They really pull it all together and make this salad ultra refreshing and super classy!
This fabulous salad is not only perfect for camping but it would also be fantastic at a barbecue, picnic, or potluck. It's also sophisticated enough for a bridal shower or a baby shower!
My favorite thing about this salad is how little prep it requires. The only prep you'll have to do is slicing the strawberries and washing and drying all of your fruit. Uh...yeah, that's it! Again, this salad looks best when you eat it right away.
Ingredients:
1 lb sliced strawberries
6 oz blackberries
6 oz raspberries
1 can pineapple tidbits, drained
1-2 tbsp granulated sugar
2 tbsp chopped mint
2 tsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste
Instructions:
1. Wash all of your fruit with water and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Remove the heads from the strawberries and slice the berries into quarters.
3. Place all of your berries in a large bowl. Add one can of drained pineapple tidbits. Add sugar, mint, and vanilla to the mixture. Toss to coat.
4. Serve immediately
Be sure to pin this recipe for your next bbq, shower or potluck! Give me a like on Facebook or follow me on Instragram and Twitter for more quick and easy recipes. See you next time!
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