How to Design a Harvest Thanksgiving Table

by Clara Chavez

Overview

Decorate your Thanksgiving table with abundance from the garden. This holiday is set aside to remember the blessings in your life and the struggles generations have overcome to live in a free land. What better way to signify gratitude for the variety of food and drink in this country than to adorn your dinner table with crops that are grown and harvested in your area. Arrange locally grown vegetables and fruits in a low-sided wicker bowl or basket for a charming display of the relationship between your kitchen and the blessings of nature.
Highlight the Bounty of Gardens in Your Area

Step 1

Select the vegetables and fruit for the display. Use your own garden, or shop at the local farmer's market. If either is not an option, go out to a local farm and see what they have to offer. Explain that you are looking for a variety of colorful produce to adorn your table. Buy the vegetables complete with the green tops on. This adds additional color to the arrangement.
Step 2

Buy a large low-sided wicker bowl or basket. Calculate the size you need based on the produce you want to display and the table size. The bowl or basket should not cover more than one-eighth of the table surface.
Step 3

Set the bowl or basket in the middle of the table, off to one end. It should be within the view of all guests without blocking the view of the holiday fare being served.
Step 4

Prepare the display. Wash the vegetables carefully. There should be no grit or soil left anywhere on the produce. Everything should look fresh and appetizing. Arrange the vegetables, so the colors complement one another. Set the first vegetables on the wicker bowl or basket, closest to the outside rim, in a clockwise fashion. Wend your way to the center with tighter circles. Carrots and beets and other vegetables with tops should be bundled together with twine at the tops, so they look orderly.
Step 5

Place the display on your table and enjoy the effect.

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Low-sided wicker bowl or basket Twine
Low-sided wicker bowl or basket
Twine
Make friends with local farmers early in the season, and they will give you their best specimens.
Make friends with local farmers early in the season, and they will give you their best specimens.
Wash pesticides off all the surfaces of the fruits and vegetables before placing them on the table.
Wash pesticides off all the surfaces of the fruits and vegetables before placing them on the table.