Despite the shorter days and onset of evening chill, Fall has been dear to us. We've established a Saturday morning tradition of going to the farmer's market nearby to get produce and treats for the week. On our latest trip, we purchased some pumpkins and foliage like baby's breath and tiny flowers, with the intention of making something festive for the table.
Carving pumpkins isn't my forte, so instead I made the pumpkins a vessel for a floral arrangement.
You'll need:
- Small pumpkins, one per centerpiece ( I believe the ones we have are of the Long Island Cheese variation. I loved the mellow coloring.)
- Flowers/Foliage ( I picked Hypericum berries of two colors, baby's breath, and another variation of filler)
- A serrated knife or pumpkin carving knife (to cut the lid)
- Spoon (to scoop out the innards)
- Scissors (to trim your flowers)
Instructions:
Trim the stems of the flowers until they are just a little taller than the pumpkins.
Next, carve a generous opening in the top of the pumpkin using a serrated knife. Remove the insides and reserve for other use, maybe pie!
Add a little water in the well of the pumpkin, and arrange your flowers and greenery. I trimmed everything down to different heights to make a well balanced arrangement. While I know nothing about floral arrangements (my roommate and I killed our dorm room plant in 4 days, the first week of college), it was fun to dabble in this art. Snip here. Snip there. More cranberry. Balance with baby's breath. I am guided by the sentiment as I contemplate career goals that us amateur folks are silly enough to believe we can achieve anything. Maybe it's not silly, maybe it's the rightful truth. At the very least, it helps us dream.
These centerpieces are perishable of course, and best prepared the day or two before an event. Nonetheless, I intend to let them dry out as they'll be beautiful still.
And Voila! Fall foliage to brighten your table.