Observe National Fruit Month with Your Fruit Knife

June is national fruit and vegetable month. What a great time to show your talents with a fruit knife. You can make edible decorations like these with a simple folding knife

Apple With Carved Hearts Made with a Fruit Knife
Apple With Carved Hearts

that you probably already own. Maybe these ideas will lead to more ideas of your own. If you happen to make a mistake, you can easily make it disappear. Save only the best masterpieces for display at the barbecue table this spring. With a little bit of practice, you will be amazed at what you can do with a bowl of fruit and a fruit knife.

Apple Carved with a Fruit Knife
Carved Apple

Fruit Knife Art
Fruit Knife Art

 

Owls Carved with a Fruit Knife
Carved Owls

Apple Butterfly Made with a Fruit Knife
Carved Apple Butterfly

 

 

 

The Sharp History of the Fruit Knife (Melon Tester), Vegetable Knife

The original folding fruit knife was made of silver and mother-of-pearl in the late

Watermelon Testing Plug Obtained With a Fruit Knife
Watermelon Testing Plug Obtained With a Fruit Knife, But It Looks Like They Are Doing a Little More Than Just Testing!

1700’s in England. Why those materials? Silver is relatively soft, but it is resistant to the citric acid that would eat away at steel. Also, silver has anti-microbial qualities, which would tend to keep the knife free from harmful growths of bacteria. Mother-of-pearl is also impervious to citric acid, and it adds to the beauty of the knife. The less expensive fruit knives had celluloid handles, which would also be resistant to the acid content of fruits.

Today, most fruit knives are made of stainless steel. Sometimes plastic handles are used, to make the knife handle last longer.

In America, the fruit knife became popular in the 1930’s. Many companies would have their logo imprinted on the plastic handles in their corporate colors. They would give these as advertising products to their customers. Many are found in the possession of knife collectors today.

 

PURPOSE:

These specialty knives are made with very long skinny spear blades. Some blades are serrated. They are used by fruit and meat inspectors to get a sample from deep inside the product. The inspectors can then examine the smell, texture, and color of the product.

Credits: Some of this information is from the book Advertising Cutlery, Richard D. White, 1999.