California Orchard Holiday Fruit Cocktail

My husband's Grandmother Zelda used to make Fruit Cocktail for each Thanksgiving dinner. When I married into the family, I tasted this yummy tradition for the first time and have enjoyed it each year. Her sister Aunt Beth used to make it as well. His Mom still makes it and now he and I make it.

This year I asked my mother-in-law how their "Fruit Cocktail" got started and she reminded me that since her in-laws lived on an orchard with peach trees, orange trees, pomegranate trees, etc., each fall Grandma would can peaches and squeeze orange juice, etc. At Thanksgiving, she'd make up a large batch of fruit cocktail and those hungry boys would eat it at Thanksgiving dinner and throughout the week and then make a new batch for them for Christmas too. Here's the recipe, as I've seen it made:

Fruit Cocktail
Make the night before, as the flavors blend together better. How much of each fruit you add, depends on how large your crowd is. It's also about balancing the amount of each fruit so that both colors and flavors are just right--and some ingredients don't overpower others.

In a large Tupperware bowl, put in one can of orange juice concentrate--do not add water. The citrus keeps the fruit from darkening. Slice into big bite size pieces, canned peaches and add without their juice. Add pineapple tidbits, without their juice. Cut red, seedless grapes in half lengthwise and add. Cut maraschino cherries in fourths and add. Also add about 1/8-1/4 cup of the juice. Now just put the lid on and chill and let the flavors blend overnight.

The morning before you serve it, add drained, mandarin oranges and halved, thickly sliced bananas. If you add the mandarin oranges too soon and stir it too much, they break apart too easily. The key is not to put in easily broken or squishy fruits. Buy slightly green bananas. When you slice the bananas, cut the entire banana once down the middle from one end to the other (halving it) and then slice crosswise to make thick slices--about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch thick. Adding the bananas the morning of keeps them firmer, yet still lets the flavor in.

Other fruits can be substituted or added e.g. strawberries, pomegranates, pears, green grapes or tropical fruits like papaya. You may also use a purchased "fruit cocktail" as the base and add to it. Fruits that do not work well include raspberries, blueberries and huckleberries because of their juice residue coloring the mix and that they fall apart easily. If you add strawberries, then also add the green grapes to balance it out better both in taste and looks. It is best to wait until 1 hour before to add strawberries. Return it to its chilling spot until it's time to serve it.

When it's time to serve it, make individual servings in a small bowl or cup of it's own. It tastes great again later in the day with a turkey or ham sandwich too and the next day until it's gone.

Now what can one do with the drained juices? My Father loves to drink the drained fruit juices, whereas my Mother-in-law says, it's just sugar water! Guess you could use it as a base for smoothies.