If you like flowers on the table for a special dinner, you know that it’s necessary to keep the arrangement low.

Otherwise, guests can’t see each other across the table.

Tall arrangements belong on a buffet or side table.

You can finds scores of Thanksgiving centerpieces online (check out these on Pinterest).

But for the time-pressed or craft-challenged, this arrangement from Ocean Spray (photo #1) couldn’t be easier.

The centerpiece uses elegant white ranunculus in a bowl of cranberries.

Yellow ranunculus or other white blooms like roses (photo #2) work just as well.

THANKSGIVING CENTERPIECE

Materials

 
Preparation

1. PLACE the cranberries in the vase with enough water to fill the vase 3/4 full.

2. USING a sharp knife or scissors, trim 1/4″ off the ends of the flowers, cutting at a 45° angle. Add the cut flowers to the vase, arranging as needed.

2. REPLACE the water as needed, and discard the berries when they become soft. Snip the ends of the flowers 1/4 inch each day, as you change the water in the vase.

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*Instead of changing the water daily, you can add bleach to the water to keep bacteria (along with their aroma and cloudiness) from growing.

[1] Easy, peasy: two ingredients, plus a vase and water (photo courtesy Ocean Spray).

[2] A variation with white roses, from Xmaslet | Tumblr.

[1] Go green with reusable shopping bags (photo courtesy Pier 1 Imports).

[2] Give rechargeable batteries with gifts that require batteries (photo courtesy Energizer).

[3] Some people would rather you give a donation in their name (image courtesy Feeding America).

[4] Use newspaper wrap to plain or fancy effect (photo courtesy Steemit).

[5] Buy a living tree that you can plant outside after the holiday (photo courtesy Paramount Landscaping).

[6] Make tree ornaments from pine cones (this one from DIY Ready, more from Pinterest).

We try to live as green a life as possible: recycling everything we can, making judicious purchase choices, using a Sodastream and a water filter instead of tossing endless empty bottles into the landfill.

We don’t use wrapping paper, instead packaging gifts in reusable gift bags; and using our mom’s example of wrapping large gifts in yesterday’s newspapers (use the comics section for kids’ gifts).

We weren’t surprised to learn that, from Thanksgiving to New Year’s Day, household waste increases by more than 25%.

Environmental activist C.J. Quinn has devoted her life to raising awareness about environmental stewardship. She has shared with us her article, “Six Tips to Reduce Your Carbon Footprint During the Holidays.”

Give the earth a present this year, she says. “Celebrate the holidays with the gift of giving by knowing that you are thinking about the environment. Use the following tips this holiday season and smile because you are not only giving to your loved ones, but to our precious planet as well.”

Here are her tips, interspersed with a few of our own.
 
GIFT-BUYING TIPS

 
GIFT-GIVING TIPS

 
GIFT-WRAPPING TIPS

 
CHRISTMAS TREE TIPS

 
DECORATING TIPS

 
CHRISTMAS CARD TIPS

 
Reducing your carbon footprint creates another kind of peace on earth—as well as your own peace of mind.

Not excited about pumpkin pie? Can’t have pecans or other nuts?

There’s always the venerable apple pie to end Thanksgiving dinner. But let us suggest an easy-to-make alternative:

Cranberry Apple Crisp from Ocean Spray.

We recently were served a piece, and it was love at first bite. When one guest had to leave in advance of dessert, it was all we could do not to reach across the table and snatch her plate (we were among strangers, and shy).

Fortunately, this Ocean Spray recipe is so easy…and with a crisp, you don’t have to roll out pie crusts.

This is a recipe everyone will enjoy.

Crisp, crumble, cobbler: here’s the difference.
 
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY-APPLE CRISP

Prep time is 20 minutes, cook time is 45 minutes. This recipe is made in a baking pan, but you can make individual servings in ramekins.

Ingredients For 9 Servings

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 375ºF. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking pan.

2. PARE and core the apples, rinse the cranberries. Layer the apples and cranberries in the pan, sprinkling with sugar as you layer.

3. MAKE the topping: Combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon. Work in the butter the until light and crumbly. Sprinkle topping evenly over apples and cranberries.

4. BAKE 45 minutes or until apples are tender.
 
 
THE HISTORY OF CRANBERRIES

[1] It looks humble, but tastes divine (photo Amy Sussman/AP Images for Ocean Spray—all photos courtesy Ocean Spray)

[2] You can make individual portions in ramekins.

[3] Ocean Spray cranberries are available fresh or frozen…and the fresh ones freeze beautifully if you have to many (photo Ocean Spray)

[2] Slice it and enjoy it, without any browning.

[2] Growing in the sunshine.

The most food excitement we’ve had recently in our house is…an apple.

Not just any apple, but The Opal® apple, a relatively new breed that has finely made its way across the country.

This exceptional, golden-skin apple (with touches of blush) is:

 
…and (drumroll…)

 
Yes, the flesh of this beautiful golden orb won’t turn brown.

It’s our new favorite apple-a-day. They’re available November through March, so we’ll be happy for a while. Here’s a store locator.

For recipes and more, visit OpalApple.com.
 
THANKSGIVING IDEA

Use Opals as name cards for Thanksgiving dinner. Create name tags and attach them to the apples—which turns them into party favors.

If you don’t use name cards, place a bowl of apples at the front door, so guests can take an apple with them upon departing.

When they wake up the next morning and dig into their apple, they’ll have another reason to give thanks.
 
OPAL APPLE HISTORY

Opal is the brand name for a cultivar of apple also known in the industry as UEB32642. It was created by crossing a Topaz apple with a Golden Delicious (let us hastily add that to us, the Golden Delicious seems to have contributed only its color, and not the bland qualities we associate with that particular cultivar).

The breed was developed by the Institute of Experimental Botany in Prague, Czech Republic in 1999*.

In North America, it is grown exclusively by Broetje Orchards in Washington, and marketed by the First Fruits company, a collaborative marketing company owned by growers. It has limited growers worldwide; currently Austria, France and the Netherlands.

It was first introduced in 2010* in the Pacific Northwest, where it is grown by family-owned Broetje Orchards in Washington. The child of the Topaz was christened Opal, much more memorable than UEB32642.

On January 10, 2015, the Opal embarked on a mission to outer space, on a delivery mission to the International Space Station aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

NASA approached FirstFruits with the request.

Because of the high cost of sending items into space, each crew member received only one or two apples…but no doubt have another to-eat item on their lists when they return.

Opal Gives Back

The Opal apple also gives back. Each Opal grower also commits to contributing a minimum of 10% of their profits to charitable causes. Broetje Orchard, the North American grower, donates 50% or more of their net profits to charities around the globe.

The Opal Apple Youth Make a Difference Initiative was launched in 2013, awarding grants to youth-led non-profits focused on issues surrounding food security and politics, nutrition and agriculture.
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*It can take decades to develop a new cultivar of fruits and vegetables. The release date, 1999 for this cultivar, denotes when the new breed was ready for release, i.e., to be distributed to growers, who pay a royalty fee per tree planted. The developer (in this case, the Institute of Experimental Botany in Prague) can grant exclusive rights to one grower in a country or region; or can enable a wider distribution.

As they create the new variety, growers wait years for trees to mature and bear fruit, and also to see how well the cultivar grows in their growing regions. In general, with new high density trellised planting techniques, apple trees will not produce fruit until they are between 3 and 4 years of age. It then takes an additional 7 to 8 years before the tree comes into full production.

Once the trees bear successful fruit, the grower can then expand the acres cultivated…and wait more years until those trees bear fruit and come into full production. That’s why the rest of the country is only now getting shipments of the Opal apple.

Opal apples currently are grown in the U.S., Chile and Europe (Austria, Belgium, England, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia and Spain.

1. PLAN FOR THAWING

If you purchase a frozen bird, plan ahead!

Depending on its size, the turkey could take half a day to defrost for small for small birds, or multiple days for large birds.

2. BASTE ONLY ONCE

Baste your bird only at the beginning of the roasting process. Basting later, or continuous basting, can make the skin soft instead of crispy. Similarly…

3. KEEP THE DOOR CLOSED

Resist the urge to frequently open the oven door and check on the turkey. It causes temperature fluctuations and lengthens the cooking time.

4. CHECK THE TEMPERATURE

Check the doneness with a meat thermometer, preferably an instant-read.

Test at the thickest part of the thigh, not touching bone. When the thermometer registers 165°F, it’s ready.

If you have stuffed the turkey cavity, plan for an extra 5-7 minutes cooking time per pound, and be sure that both the stuffing and the turkey each register 165°F.

5. CHECK THE TIME

At 350°F, the bird needs bout 13 minutes per pound.

When you plan the time for serving, don’t forget the extra 30 minutes of resting time required before the cooked bird is ready to carve.

6. TENT WITH FOIL

If the drumsticks begin to brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil.

7. FLIP THE BIRD

Start roasting the bird with the breast side down. This protects the white meat from overcooking and helps absorb juices as they run downward.

Halfway through, flip the bird over with the breast side. This is so the skin crisps and gets golden brown.

Consider some turkey flipping tools.
8. REST BEFORE CARVING

Tom needs to rest for about 30 minutes before carving. This redistributes the juices; otherwise, they’ll spurt out at the first slice, taking the moisture with them.

If you want the skin to stay crisp, don’t cover the bird “to keep it warm” while it rests. That will hold in moisture and de-crisp the skin.

Redistribution of juices also makes for smoother carving.

9. PRESENTATION

If don’t want to carve at the table, present the beautiful bird to your guests; then return to the kitchen to carve.

10. PLATTER DECORATIONN

Whether you carve at the table or serve a platter of sliced meat, decorate your platter. We prefer fruits and herbs that are decorative—i.e., not the cooked sides like Brussels sprouts and onions. For color and neatness, we like:

 
Ready, set, roast!

[2] Tom needs a rest! Never carve until the bird has rested for 30 minutes (photo courtesy Sur La Table).

[3] After 30 minutes of rest, you can start carving (photo courtesy Charlie Palmer Steak).