Recipe Corner: Fruit Salad

Brother Nick: "What's that?"
Me: "A grape."
Brother Nick: "Oh. It tastes funny."
Mom: "It's the blueberries."

Wrong. It's the cardamom. This salad is perfect for visiting relatives. I would recommend, if you don't know what to look for, that you ask the produce person to help you select nectarines that are ripe for eating.

Ingredients:
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 orange
1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
3 medium nectarines, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
9 ounces large green grapes, halved pole to pole (about 2 cups)
1 pint blueberries
1-2 tablespoons juice from 1 lime

Directions:
Combine sugar, zest, and cardamom in large bowl. Using rubber spatula, press mixture into side of bowl until sugar becomes damp, about 30 seconds. Gently toss fruit with sugar mixture until combined. Let stand at room temperature, stirring occasionally, until fruit releases its juices, 15 to 30 minutes. Stir in lime juice to taste and serve.