Summer Harvest Fruit Punch

This yummy punch was an experiment based on a punch that I tried at a garden party. I took store-bought juice (in this case, frozen juice concentrate) and voila, by adding fresh fruit and lime juice, you have a drink for summer harvest fruit punch that is full of flavor and not anything remotely like what comes from a can.

There is no need to reinvent the wheel when juice concentrate can serve as the base of a fantastic harvest punch. I’m saying harvest, but think summer fruits like peaches and plums that are so juicy they drip down your chin when you bite into them. This recipe lets you combine your favorite stone fruits with apples and oranges to create a wonderful and beautiful punch that can feed a bunch of people.

When you are talking fruit, there are variables: sweetness, weight, and how much “fruit” you can get from the individual piece of fruit. Here are some basic guidelines for he fruits you can use in this recipe.

Handy List of Fruit Equivalents

Apples

• 1 large apple is about 3-1/2”- 3-3/4” in diameter and produces 2 cups sliced or chopped fruit. There are 2 large apples in a pound
• 1 medium apple is about 2-1/2”- 2-3/4” in diameter and produces 1-1/3 cups sliced or chopped fruit. There are 4 medium apples in a pound.

Peaches and Nectarines

• 1 large peach (or nectarine) is about 3-1/4”- 3-1/4” in diameter and produces 3/4 cups sliced or chopped fruit. There are 2 large peaches in a pound
• 1 medium peach (or nectarine) is about 2-1/2”- 2-3/4” in diameter and produces 1/2 cups sliced or chopped fruit. There are 3 medium peaches in a pound
• 1 cup sliced peaches is equivalent to 10 ounces frozen peaches
• For you canners out there 2 – 2 1/2 pounds of fresh peaches = 1 quart canned peaches

Pears

• 1 medium pear is about 2” in diameter and produces 1 cup sliced or chopped fruit. There are 2-3 medium pears in a pound.

Plums and Pluots

• 1 medium plum or pluot is about 2” in diameter and produces 1/3 – 1/2 cup sliced or chopped fruit. There are 6 medium plums/pluots in a pound.

Mangos

• 1 medium mango weighs about 12 ounces and produces 1 cup sliced or chopped fruit.

Papayas

• 1 medium papaya weighs about 12 ounces and produces 2 cups of chopped fruit.

Bananas

• 1 large banana will weigh about 4 ounces and produce 1 cup sliced fruit.

Cantaloupe

• 1 medium cantaloupe weighs about 3 pounds and produce 4 – 4-1/2 cups sliced or chopped fruit.

Pineapple

• 1 medium pineapple weighs about 2 pounds and produce 3 cups sliced or chopped fruit.

Oranges

• 1 medium orange is about 2-1/2” – 2-3/4” in diameter and produces 1/2 cup chopped fruit and 2 to 3 tablespoons of orange zest. There are 3-4 medium oranges in a pound.
• 3 medium oranges = 1 cup fresh orange juice

Lemons

• 1 medium lemon is about 2” in diameter and produces 2 – 3 tablespoons lemon juice. There are 4 medium lemons in a pound.
• 1 medium lemon produces 1-1/2 to 3 teaspoons lemon zest

Limes

• 1 medium lime is about 1-2/3” – 2” in diameter and produces 1–1/2 – 2 tablespoons lime juice. There are 5 medium limes in a pound.
• 1 medium lime produces 1 – 2 teaspoons lime zest

This recipe can be customized to suit the occasion. I first tasted it at a garden party and couldn’t figure out what was in the punch, so I asked the hostess and she dug out a can of frozen juice concentrate.

I added my own spin on this summer harvest fruit punch. It doesn’t need the ubiquitous carbonated drink to give it depth. Instead, the fresh fruit does that. I really like the chunks of apple and peach in this drink, so I always start with them and then add whatever else seems like a good fit for the juice flavor. The lime juice brightens the juice. When fresh peaches aren’t readily available, it is fine to substitute frozen peaches in their place.

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