Materials

• 1 floral foam or green styrofoam cone (measuring 4-5 inches in diameter at the base and 12 inches high)

NOTE: I know this isn’t very green, so please, please , please try to reuse an old piece of styrofoam or pick up a gently used piece at a thrift store)

• 1 box of toothpicks
• 4 one pound containers of fresh strawberries
• 1 bunch fresh mint
• 1 slice from a carambola fruit (also known as star fruit)*

NOTE: If you can’t find a carambola, you can use a 1-inch star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out a star shape from a mango slice instead.

Directions

1. Wash the strawberries and blot them dry with paper towels. Pull off the green stem from each strawberry. Reserve a perfect strawberry for the top of the ‘tree’.
2. Push a toothpick halfway into the side of the cone, about 1/2 inch from the bottom edge. Secure a strawberry to the toothpick, piercing it through the stem end. Secure another strawberry right next to the first one. Continue securing strawberries to the cone in circular rows up to its top, covering the cone completely. Secure the reserved strawberry to the top of the tree.
3. Remove some mint leaves from the bunch of mint and tuck them between the berries, placing them at about 3-inch intervals.
4. Secure the star-shaped carambola or mango slice to the top of the cone using a toothpick.

Makes one table centerpiece

About Tish Boyle
Tish Boyle is editor in chief of Chocolatier and Pastry Art & Design magazines. A graduate of Smith College and La Varenne Ecole de Cuisine in Paris, she has been a caterer, pastry chef, and food stylist. She is the author of The Good Cookie and Diner Desserts, and coauthor of Simply Sensational Desserts (IACP Award Winner), Chocolate Passion, and the Grand Finales series of books.

This craft project was sent to me courtesy of

Green Halloween

Happy Halloween everyone!  Now that the pumpkins are carved, the scarecrows stuffed, and the costumes assembled, it’s time to go trick-or-treating!  If your kids are like mine, they’ve practically been living in their costumes and practicing their lines for the last week.  Here’s to a happy, safe, and green Halloween!

Share Your Story:If you haven’t already done so, join in the discussions on Green Parents about what your kids are wearing this year, what candy you’re giving out, and how you’ve enjoyed this Green Halloween. If you have a few minutes over the weekend, be sure to post some pics!  Mine we’ll be up there tomorrow!

Serve Up A Family Favorite: The best way to limit the amount of candy your kids eat tonight is to make sure their bellies are filled with a good, hearty dinner.  So before the excitment of dressing up and trick or treating sets in, make sure your kids take time to sit down and eat their favorite dinner.

Carry A Reusable Tote: Grab an old pillowcase, a tote bag, or a canvas shopping bag for your kids to fill with treats. But whatever you do, don’t use a flimsy, disposable, plastic bag that is likely to break before the night is through.

Eat Some Candy!: It’s Halloween, and if you’re going to do the whole trick-or-treat thing, relax a little bit and let your kids gobble up some of their hard-earned treats! Set a limit for the amount of candy they can eat that night and then put the rest away (preferably out of sight) for another time. If they decide to eat as they go, just make sure they put the wrappers in their pockets to throw away later.

Pass It On: It takes just one small-town neighborhood block for my kids to accumulate enough candy to rot out all of their teeth (even the ones they don’t have yet) and rev up their systems for a good month. So at our house, the kids get to indulge for a few days before I pull the plug and get rid of the sugar. Fortunately, there’s no need to throw it all away. Nursing homes, women’s shelters, and Boys and Girls Clubs all happily accept candy donations.