FRUIT SALAD IN NOVEMBER?

with all this talk about pumpkins, sweet potatoes, roasts and slow cookers let's not forget about our beautiful fruit...while it's still here..hangin' in there..getting VERY EXPENSIVE!

just yesterday i had to buy some blueberries...$4.99...YIKES!!!! and they were rather small and flavorless, i might add. honeydew melon was over $6 bucks...even good old strawberries are 4 bucks....errrrrg

i know, i know...apples are IN !...well.....apples are ALWAYS IN!!!

don't get me wrong. i love apples..have one just about every day, but in this house everyone expects a nice little fruit salad with lunch. specifically, a fruit salad prepared by ME. all through summer these fruit salads were unbeleivable. raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, MANGO, papaya, peaches. ooooh there was sooo much to chose from, but now it's getting to be a bit hard to keep up with the expectations.

i thought all was lost 'till i sliced into this unasuming, hard to the touch, Tuscan Sweet melon this morning and thought i'd died and gone to fruit heaven. is this thing beautiful or what?!...the sweet aroma alone almost bowled me over. it was just the right crispiness. i prefere my melon on the semi crispy side, but quite often they haven't developed their flavors yet...this one was perfect. AND only about $2.50. the kiwis?..3 for a dollar...and i found raspberries on sale 2 baskets for $3.00. as i said i had to splerge on the blueberries. needless to say, fruit salads are still going strong in this house...what is everyone else doing for fruit? here in California we always have the variety, it just get soooo expensive. should i kill the fruit salad everyday ideas? i don't think that would fly.

for now i'll stick with the melons and what ever is on sale...this week i'm good and it's not bad for a fruit salad in November.