Make an
Elephruit Salad
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Completed
Your completed salad resembles an elephant. Under its removable back
is a large cavity filled with your choice of goodies. We'll see what's inside ours after a few steps.
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Ingredients
You will need the following:
1. A melon for the body. We used a honeydew. You could use a cantaloupe which is smaller, or a
watermelon to make a large green elephruit salad to serve a party.
2. A fruit for the head. We used a not yet ripe pear. An apple or orange
could be used.
3. Four carrots for the legs and trunk (also tail if you want one). Five
are shown but took only four.
4. In addition to the main ingredients you need toothpicks to hold the
parts together and will need your filling.
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Step 1 - Cut The Melon
Caution! Are you old enough to use a knife? If not, ask an adult to help
you do this. Cut the melon about 3/4 of the way up to form a large main
body and a smaller cover for the back. Scoop out seeds.
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Step 2 - Make Legs
You need four legs. Clean the carrot with a vegetable peeler. Lop off the
rounded top end. Cut the thick end about 2 to 3 inches long with a slanted
cut so it will fit the melon better. Insert toothpick in slanted end as
you see it done here. It only needs to go in about 1/4 inch to hold firmly.
Throw away cap end piece. Keep long ends for trunk.
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Step 3 - Attach Legs
Push the toothpick into the melon. You have to guess, or estimate, the best
place to attach each leg. Turn it over and make sure it stands okay. If not,
adjust the legs until it is stable.
The toothpicks will go completely through the melon and stick up on the
inside. If you want to prevent that from happening, trim the toothpicks to
a shorter length.
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Step 4 - Make Head Parts
Two slices were taken off the pear for making ears. The pear was sliced
at an angle hat would make it look more or less correct when attached to
the back in the next step.
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Step 5 - Assemble Head
Two slots were cut in the sides of the pear head. The slices were placed
in the slots and toothpicks run through the head, the ears, into the head
to hold the ears in place. The same toothpicks will hold the head to the back.
A ripe pear may be too soft to hold the toothpicks.
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Step 6 - Filling
We filled our elephant with grapes and canned mandarin orange slices. Use
whatever you like. Cubed gelatin and fruit cocktail could be good. Maybe
add some miniature marshmallows too. Melon balls cut from the melon body would be
excellent. You decide.
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Alternate Trunk
The pear we bought had a nice curved stem which could serve as a trunk the
way it was (shown here). We used it instead of a carrot tapered end and a
toothpick to hold it to the sliced off end of the pear. We didn't bother
with a tail. You serve your salad as shown and remove the back when ready
to eat it.
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The Elephruit Salad project was conceived and executed by Wayne Hepburn
in his kitchen at home. It took a total of 40 minutes to produce, including
stops to make photographs. You may download and use this page in any nonprofit
activity including making copies for friends to use. ©1999 WH.
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