DIY Edible Arrangement

My 2010 Edible Arrangements knockoff for Easter

This particular project started in my usual way: Last Easter I was trying to find something nice to take to the annual Easter gathering at my in-laws' house and I thought, Ooh, those Edible Arrangements sure are nice. Wonder how much they run? So I checked it out, saw the price tag (start at around $40 for a small arrangement- like, big enough for 2-4 people), nearly had a heart attack, and got my thrifty thinking gears going. And of course, those thrifty thinking gears churned me into some classic knockoff action! I scoured the internet and found several sites with tips on how to do my own. So I messed around and got a fairly good Edible Arrangements knockoff out of it!

One warning: This takes time!! It takes time to cut up the fruit, and time to arrange it as well. All in all, plan on about 2 hours of hard labor for one of these babies!

Now I'll share what I've learned with you!

1. Choose your container. Make sure it's sturdy and deep enough that you can weigh it down in the bottom, otherwise your arrangement will be seriously top-heavy. Not good. Here I've used a #10 can (like a coffee can- I liked the simple rustic look of it) and weighed it down with some canned food and stuffed newspaper around them so they don't roll around.

2. Get some floral foam. NOT THIS FLORAL FOAM!!! I discovered after I began that this stuff is waaaaay harder to get skewers into than the real floral foam (that stuff that you can push in with your finger that also holds water). Cut the foam to fit your container- it's okay if it sticks up or is even down below the top of your container- just make sure you have enough foam to put lots of skewers into.

3. Arrange green leaf lettuce or parsley to cover your foam. The skewers you'll stick in will keep this in place.

4. Cut and skewer your fruit!

- cantaloupe & honeydew melon- these will be your "leaves" in your arrangement. Cut them into slices (they will have a half-moon shape) and then in half so each one looks kind of like a claw.

- red grapes- place on skewers 4-5 high, making sure not to poke through the top grape.

- strawberries- stick and you're done! Just don't poke all the way through!

- pineapple/melon "flowers"- cut pineapple into 1" thick slices and cut with a flower-shaped cookie cutter. Use a melon baller to create the centers. Poke skewer all the way through pineapple flower, then place ball on top (but don't poke all the way through it!).

5. Arrange- Use a photo as inspiration! Start at the bottom and work your way around and up. I discovered that in order to get the same look as the Edible Arrangements you have to start putting the skewers in nearly horizontally at the bottom and then gradually have them go up (like the spokes of a lady's fan- horizontal at the bottom then angling up to the top).

6. Fill in- use your lettuce or parsley and tear it into smaller pieces to fill in any areas where the skewers might show.

Here is my rushed masterpiece from this year! If I'd had more time (and had less stupid foam) I would have made it nicer, but at least it was colorful and fun! Total cost for fruit and materials was less than $20, and I had plenty of fruit left over to cut up into smaller pieces and mix together for a nice accompanying fruit salad. All in all, I'd say it's a successful knockoff, and great for Easter, Mother's Day, a birthday, or any kind of spring or summer gathering!

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