Ripe for fresh fruit at fair

The heady aroma of fried food hangs like a fog at the Minnesota State Fair, luring fairgoers into gastronomic sin, one corn dog at a time. ¶ But amid vendors hawking every variety of dipped and fried thing stand the few, the proud, the unabashedly naked -- the fresh fruit vendors. ¶ Passage to their oases of healthful nutrition is fraught with dietary landmines. The fair boasts about 350 food concessionaires selling about 500 different types of food (more than 70 on a stick). In an average year, fairgoers eat half a million corn dogs, 2.6 million cheese curds and 340,000 mini donuts. ¶ Somewhere, someone eats a piece of fruit or two, too.

"I've come here for years, but I usually don't buy fresh fruit," said Katherine Miraldi of Woodbury.

On a recent afternoon, Miraldi bought a cup of mixed fruit for the first time from the Fried Fruit On-A-Stick stand, where fresh fruit is also available, if somewhat as an afterthought. Her motivation? The health of her 1-year-old son, Ben.

The stand "was hard to find,'' she added.

And as she cut the fruit for young Ben, she made a Ranch dressing-covered confession: "I started with the Australian potatoes. They were so filling, we couldn't eat for a few hours."

It's enough to make a fresh fruit vendor shake her head -- in complete empathy.

"Well, it's the fair," explained Carol Helmer, proprietor of Fried Fruit.

The Helmer family jumped onto the unusual fried-fruit concept years ago when their then-teenage daughter accidentally dropped grapes in a deep fryer at one of their concession stands in Brainerd. It turned out better than they expected, but they had to sit on the idea while they applied for 12 years to get into the fair before they were finally accepted. Their brightly colored stand so enthusiastically advertises fried fruit that Amanda Nelson of Lakeville, who was on the lookout for the fresh stuff, almost bypassed it.

Nelson walked away with three cups of fresh fruit.

Fruit isn't new to the fair. Chocolate-dipped bananas and watermelon are available. Strawberries topped with clouds of cream are popular. But the fresh stuff isn't on most fairgoers' radar, what with the likes of deep-fried Twinkies and chocolate-covered bacon competing for stomach space.

Countryside Market opened for the first time this year by the Eco Experience building, selling locally grown watermelons and apples alongside sodas. Organizers were initially uncertain about the success of a fruit stand, but in four days, they doled out 400 pounds of unadulterated apples (read: no caramel coating, no nuts, no nothin' but the fruit) and 1,800 pounds of red and yellow watermelon.

"We're not trying to take away the fried-food experience," said Margaret Marshall, who coordinated the market and works the cash register. "Some people want to neutralize the corn dog."

Countryside Market is sponsored by the nonprofit group Renewing the Countryside, which promotes local food. Business was brisk on a recent afternoon, though, truth be told, its maple and choke cherry sodas were selling faster than its apples and watermelons.

The Midtown Global Market and Steichen's Complete Food Market, tucked away behind the sheep barn, and an apple stand in the Horticulture Building also sell fresh fruit.

"You know, you just got to remind people that you need a balance," Marshall said. "The fair was very excited to promote healthy eating."

Heather Gregory and her boyfriend, Aaron Pearson, both of Pequot Lakes, stopped by for a slice of red watermelon, but not before already devouring, in order on a list they prepared, a Pronto Pup, cheese curds, bacon on a stick, grilled shrimp and cotton candy. (The duo still were on the hunt for some lefse.) Watermelon never made it onto the list; it was an accident.

Shielded from the afternoon sun by a leafy tree, the couple dug into their crisp melon.

"It's incredibly exciting," Gregory said of the unexpected fruit find. "It gives you a nice buffer between all of the fried stuff."

Said Pearson: "Now I can eat more."

Chao Xiong • 612-673-4391