Produce is expensive. While shopping the other day, I noticed grapes were $2.50 a pound, and peaches $3.00. Not fare for an austere diet, for sure.

So I decided to develop a “frugal” fruit salad for this month’s Austerity Kitchen Challenge. Frugal Fruit Salad depends on canned fruit cocktail as a base. This shaves a couple dollars off the overall price of the salad as a 15-ounce (125 grams) can of fruit cocktail retails for about $0.85. I prefer Aldi’s Fit&Active light fruit cocktail. Aldi packs their fruit in pear juice rather than syrup, which lends a nice freshness to the fruit. But you can substitute any brand of canned fruit cocktail packed in juice.

The foundation of fruity frugality

With canned fruit cocktail as a base, you need only add one or two fresh fruits to impart an added toothsomeness to your salad. And you can easily control the amount of fruit salad you make — no need to use up an entire pineapple, or a dozen peaches before they rot.

Frugal Fruit Salad sets you back about $1.10, depending on the fresh fruit you use in the salad.

Frugal Fruit Salad

(Serves Four)

1 15-ounce can fruit salad packed in juice
1 grapefruit, or 2 oranges
1 banana
1-2 tsp sugar, or sweetener of your choice
cinnamon to taste

Placed canned fruit salad in a serving bowl. Cut up the fresh fruit into small chunks. Add to the canned fruit salad. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon over the salad. Refrigerate for two hours before serving.