Do you ever just look at your food and think, “this must be delicious because it’s so darn pretty?!”  Well, that’s exactly how I felt about this summer melon salad.  It looks so beautiful and just screams summer!

The first time I tasted this salad was actually as a grocery store sample.  I know, I know; you’re probably thinking how silly that sounds.  BUT, this is not even the first time I’ve been inspired by a grocery store sample.  You may remember my post on an easy dessert you can make with pie peaches;  that post was also inspired by a trip to the grocery store.  I’ll admit it, grocery stores are a great place to sample new things!

Well, this salad was so good, I had to come home and make it.

This time of year, there are always plenty of melons on super sale at the farmer’s markets and at the grocery store. Cucumbers and melons are usually on sale for less than a dollar each!

How to make a summer fruit salad?

Making a summer fruit salad is super easy. You want to combine sweet and tart for balanced flavors. This cantaloupe melon fruit salad is the perfect balance of flavors. You combine cucumbers, tomatoes, red onions, cantalope and fresh herbs like mint and basil. Then you make a dressing made from lime juice, maple syrup and olive oil and toss the whole salad together and add in feta cheese.

The ingredients you’ll need to make this summer melon fruit salad:

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 cups cantaloupe, cubed or scooped with melon baller
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, lightly chopped
• 3 oz. feta cheese
• For the dressing:
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil

What you can do with melons and cucumbers from the Farmer’s Market?

This salad is perfect for using melons and cucumbers from the farmer’s market. They’re usually on sale towards the end of summer as are tomatoes, so putting together this salad is relatively cheap!

Other melon recipes:

• Easy cucumber salad recipe
• Refreshing cucumber melon spritzer
• Watermelon salsa recipe

This salad is great for making ahead and bringing to a party. I like using these glass Pyrex containers 

Summer Melon Salad

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
• 1/2 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, sliced in half
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 3 cups cantaloupe, cubed or scooped with melon baller
• 2 tbsp fresh mint, lightly chopped
• 3 oz. feta cheese
• For the dressing:
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1tbsp olive oil

Instructions

Add cucumber, tomato, red onion, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, salt and pepper to a bowl and toss to combine. Set aside.

Prepare the dressing by adding lime juice maple syrup and salt to a bowl and whisk to combine.

Slowly add olive oil while constantly whisking to create an emulsion.

Add cantaloup to a large serving bowl and top with dressing. Gently toss to combine.

Incorporate the cucumber-tomato mixture (leaving excess liquid behind) and fresh mint by folding gently. Top with crumbled feta cheese and enjoy!