How to Design Fruit Baskets

A fruit basket is one of the best gift ideas that you can make at home. It not only has an attractive appearance, but, can also be very useful for the person who receives it. Earlier a fruit basket was only given as a get-well-soon-gift. However, today, it can be given to any person.

Now, on the other hand, did you know that a fruit basket can also be used as a centerpiece? The multicolored fruits, cut in attractive designs, and placed in a basket, surely catch the eye. If you wish to make a fruit basket as a gift, or for making a centerpiece, here are different ideas for the same.

Making a fruit basket at home is very easy. The only raw material you need is a basket (strong enough to hold the fruits) and fruits of your choice. It is advisable to go only for fresh fruits and not frozen ones. Secondly, the fruits should be clean and clear, without any spots.

You may also require decorating paper, transparent paper, fruit skewers, wine bottle, cheese or chocolates, according to the type of basket you want to make.

A transparent paper may be required to cover the entire basket in case it is to be delivered at some other place. Covering it will help in keeping the fruits fresh. Here are some ideas on designing fruit baskets at home.

Who doesn't like a food treat and luxury of gourmet food? When we think of gourmet foods, chocolates, cheeses, sauces and BBQ comes first to the mind. However, making a gourmet fruit basket is an interesting and healthy option, rather than the regular ideas.

This basket, if placed on a dinner table with right cutlery, can make a great fruit and cheese plate. Following are the steps for making the same.

• Take an African basket, or any other decorative one.
• Use fruits like apples, pears, pineapple, bananas, etc.
• Arrange the heavier fruits like apple and pineapple at the base. Top with other fruits like bananas, etc.

• Now, as it is a gourmet basket, you can add other foods like cheese or chocolates to it. These should be in packed forms. Brie cheese, blue cheese and cheddar cheese go well with fresh fruits.
• Lastly, add a card to the basket. You may not need to decorate an African basket as it is naturally very colorful.

When we think of gifting someone, we naturally want to give the best. So, when it comes to fruits, why not gift the very best. Here you can choose fruits like berries, kiwi, grapes, etc. A combination of berries and wine in a basket is definitely a heavenly thing for most of us.

• Take the best of black grapes, green grapes, strawberries, blueberries and kiwis.

• Now take a wicker basket and place the wine bottle at one side, or at the center.
• Next, balance the weight of the wine bottle with the fruits on the other side, or around the bottle. Make sure that the fruits do not overlap or they will get crushed.
• Decorate the basket with a gift wrapping paper or a bow and throw in a card!

Apart from using exotic fruits, mixing and matching them with wine and cheese, why not play with the fruits themselves. This fruit gift basket can be gifted to a spouse, partner or lover. Let us see how to make a fruit basket with fruits and nuts.

• Take a wicker basket or an attractive Mexican woven basket.

• Before actually making the basket, make chocolate covered strawberries and grapes, refrigerate them and put them in decorative boxes.
• Now place these boxes in the basket, add in some exotic nuts like cashews and almonds.
• Your fruit and nut basket is ready. Cover the wicker basket with a decorating paper, add a ribbon and gift it to your loved one.

When talking about playing with fruits, we can continue the idea for designing another fruit basket. Here you can make use of fruits of your choice. This fruit bouquet is mostly used for making table centerpiece.

• Cut the fruits into chunks of same size.
• Insert in a fruit skewer by coordinating the color (red/yellow/red or red/green/yellow/red, etc.)

• You can also use strawberries (with or without chocolate covering) and grapes.
• Now take a watermelon, cut in half, carve along the side. Force all the skewers on the cut watermelon to form a flower basket. Otherwise, you can also use a whole melon (cantaloupe melon), use it like a vase and insert all the skewers into it directly to make a bouquet.

Now that you have various ideas on making fruit baskets, you can use any of them. However, if you cannot spare a lot of time to make these exotic baskets or are low in budget, you can go for this simple fruit basket.

• You can use a wire basket, a vintage basket, or simply a sturdy cardboard box (by cutting off the cover).

• Use fruits of your choice and co-ordinate the color of fruits while arranging them. You can either use a horizontal arrangement or even try making a pyramid.
• You can even add in flowers like gerberas and daisies to add more color to the basket.
• Lastly, decorate the basket with contrasting gift paper, tie a ribbon or a bow and your gift is ready!

As you have seen, designing and making a fruit basket is simple, you can easily try it at home. With a bit of practice, you will be able to make a fruit gift basket like a pro. So, if it's your partner's birthday or parent's anniversary, you surely know what to gift! Good luck!