Honey Lime Fruit Salad

Fourth of July week, and Savannah does the Fourth the way Savannah does everything — with excess and beauty and a heat index that could melt your resolve. The fireworks over the river are tomorrow night, and Denise is picking me and Earl up at seven because parking downtown is a war I no longer choose to fight.

But first — the cookout. Wednesday at the Thunderbolt house. Just family, just us, just the people who know where the paper towels are and don't need to be told to bring a side dish. Denise is making her potato salad, which is good but not as good as mine, though I will never tell her that because some truths are unkind. Kayla is bringing watermelon. Earl Jr. can't come down from Atlanta, and Patricia has the kids in Orlando at Disney World, so it's a smaller crowd this year — just me, Earl, Denise and Robert, Kayla, and Miss Corrine from next door, who I invite to everything because she's eighty-four and alone and nobody should eat a holiday meal by themselves.

I'm doing hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill, because the Fourth of July is not the time for culinary ambition. It's the time for charcoal and ketchup and mosquito spray and the sound of kids in the yard, even though the only kid in our yard this year is Denise's personality, which takes up the space of at least three children. I love that girl more than breath, but she is loud.

Big news from Atlanta this week: Marcus called. Earl Jr.'s boy. Twenty-four years old, married to Tasha for a year, and he called me directly — not his daddy, not Carolyn, me — and he said, "Granny Dot, I need to tell you something." And my heart stopped because when a young person says they need to tell you something, it's either very good or very bad, and you don't know which until they say the next word.

He said, "Tasha's pregnant."

I sat down. I sat down hard, baby, because my legs forgot their job. A great-grandchild. I am going to be a great-grandmother. I am sixty-two years old, I have four children and seven grandchildren, and now there is going to be a great-grandbaby in this family, and I said to Marcus, "Boy, you just made my whole year," and he laughed and said, "The baby's due in November," and I said, "November? I need to start cooking."

He said, "Granny, the baby won't eat solid food for months." I said, "The baby won't. But Tasha will. And that girl is going to need feeding."

Now go on and feed somebody.

Kayla was already bringing watermelon, so I figured I’d do something a little extra with the fruit this year — because after Marcus’s phone call, I needed every single thing on that cookout table to feel like a celebration. A honey lime fruit salad is exactly that: bright and sweet and happy, the kind of thing you put out and people just smile when they see it. And honestly, I kept thinking about Tasha — that girl is going to need feeding, and this is the kind of dish you make again and again, all through a November pregnancy, right up until that baby arrives.

Prep Time: 15 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 15 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups blueberries
2 cups green grapes, halved
2 cups watermelon, cubed
2 cups pineapple chunks (fresh or canned in juice, drained)
2 kiwis, peeled and sliced
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (about 1 large lime)
1 teaspoon lime zest
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
Fresh mint leaves for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Prep the fruit. Hull and halve the strawberries, halve the grapes, cube the watermelon, and slice the kiwis. Combine all fruit in a large serving bowl.
Make the honey lime dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, fresh lime juice, lime zest, and ground ginger (if using) until smooth and well combined.
Dress the salad. Pour the honey lime dressing over the fruit and gently toss until all the fruit is evenly coated.
Chill or serve immediately. Serve right away, or cover and refrigerate for up to 2 hours before serving. The flavors deepen as it sits. Garnish with fresh mint leaves just before serving if desired.
Make-ahead tip. For cookouts, you can prep the dressing a day ahead and store it separately. Toss with the fruit no more than 2 hours before serving to keep everything fresh and bright.

Nutrition (per serving)

Honey Lime Fruit Salad — For the Cookout Table and the Baby News That Made Me Sit Down