I love this time of year.Last week at the market, I searched for the ripest and most colorful fruits I could find. My bag was soon overflowing with peaches and berries, and I had to laugh at how quickly I was snapping them up. I mean, July is both Peach Month and Berry Month for a reason, right? But now that I had bought all these amazing fruits, I had to figure out what to do with them.The peach and berry combination is nothing new. In fact, the most famous pairing of peaches and berries may very well be the Peach Melba, invented by Chef Auguste Escoffier in London in 1892.Anyway, I wanted to use these peaches and berries in a way that would make a summer fruit dessert more appealing than a box of cookies in the pantry. How could I make this healthful dessert more fun?I decided that the answer lay in toppings.Think about it. How fun is a good sundae bar? Or those frozen yogurt shops that have you top your yogurt with all sorts of neat treats? I decided to apply the same topping principle to this delightful fruit salad and so I created a make-your-own dessert bar.To do the same, simply cut your fruit into bite-sized pieces and then serve everything with a few fun toppings. I've listed some of my favorite toppings as a jumping-off point, but feel free to create your own!Topping Ideas:

• Chopped chocolate
  • For a special treat, chop Lindt couverture into fine pieces.
  • Consider offering a selection of dark, milk, and white chocolates.
• Fruit puree
  • Try blending fresh strawberries with a little juice.
  • Strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer if you'd rather not have seeds in your puree.
• Whipped cream
• Toasted chopped nuts
  • My favorites are almonds or pistachios.
  • To toast the nuts, preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and arrange the nuts in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake until the nuts smell toasty and have just started to brown, between 5 and 10 minutes.
• Toasted coconut
• Dried fruit
• Citrus zest
  • Try orange, lime, or lemon zest!
  • You can also mix a bit of zest into a bowl of sugar for a fragrant topping.
• Chocolate syrup
• Cinnamon
• Caramel syrup

Use attractive dessert dishes and allow everyone to make their own fruit concoctions. The dishes holding the toppings in the picture above are sushi sauce dishes and they are perfect for serving small amounts of toppings. We bought them in a dollar store in San Francisco. (Want to visit it? It's called Daiso and is located in Japantown).Oh, and did you like the pictures in this post? Members can learn how to photograph on a light table, like I did here. This tutorial can really give you a leg up with displays, health fair booths, custom posters, or even your own recipe books. Not a member? Find out how to join today!And before I end this post, I've just got to offer you this amazing new handout with a guide to building your own fresh fruit treat bar. It would make a great email blast, handout, or portion of a display. How will you use it?PS Members also get this awesome handout! Take a look!There's lots more in the Nutrition Education Store! Check out these great fruit and cooking resources!