Ideas for Food Garnish Centerpieces

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Fresh produce makes versatile materials when it comes to table centerpieces. You can cut, shape and apply them as needed to create a variety of looks. You may need a few special tools such as a melon baller and wooden skewers for some designs. However, you can buy all the tools and ingredients you need to make attractive food garnish centerpieces at a regular supermarket.

Fruit Bouquet

Turn assorted fruits into a colorful bouquet with the help of wooden skewers and a short, wide vase. Pop open a bag of wooden skewers. On about half of them, spear alternating cantaloupe and honeydew balls, leaving a few inches towards the bottom bare, so that they fit in the vase. On the remaining skewers, spear alternating watermelon balls and green grapes, topping each one with a whole strawberry. Arrange the skewers like a bouquet in the vase. Fill the empty spots in the bouquet with romaine lettuce leaves to create a full-bodied arrangement.

Modern Stripes

Layer brightly colored ingredients in a tall, glass vase to create a centerpiece with a modern look. Place a layer of lime slices at the bottom of the vase. Follow with a layer of lemon slices and a layer of purple kale. Alternate layers of ingredients until the vase is full. Add cold water to the vase to keep the ingredients cool and add sparkle to the striped design.

Flower Box

Use a cut watermelon as a base to create a flower box centerpiece. Cut the watermelon in half lengthwise, and use a sharp knife to create a zigzag edge. Scoop out the watermelon with a melon baller. Place the balls back in the hollowed-out watermelon to create the flower box. Slice a pineapple and cut out flower shapes from the slices with a flower cookie cutter. Slide the pineapple flowers onto wooden skewers and top them with cherries. Press the skewers into the watermelon to complete the centerpiece.

Polka Dot Sculpture

Use small fruits and toothpicks to turn a whole pineapple into a polka dot sculpture. Slide a green grape onto a toothpick and insert it into the bottom of a pineapple. Cut the top off of a strawberry, slide it onto a toothpick and insert it into the pineapple, next to the grape. Repeat the pattern around the pineapple's base. Alternate between cherries and red grapes on the next line, and switch back to green grapes and strawberries on the third line. Repeat the alternating patterns to cover the pineapple, leaving the top sticking out.