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Ingredients: 1 firm, long carrot, 1 large green bell pepper, 1 large
potato or pineapple end cut.
Tools & Supplies: Paring knife, vegetable peeler, wooden pick and
a
pitcher of cold water.
Tips & Timing: Cutting time is 10 minutes. The cut pepper should soak
in cold water overnight. The tree keeps well for 4 days. Use a cold carrot straight from
the refrigerator.
Uses: As a table accent for a luau or party with a seaside or tropical
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- Insert your knife through topmost point of stem end of pepper. Cut completely around
stem and remove it. Set pepper down with its open end facing up. Cut out a series
of deep V's whose tops intersect thus creating branches. These branches should be 2 to 3
inches long and 1-1/2 inches wide at top when turned upright. Cut 2 small notches out of
each side of each branch. Make a single slice down through bottom of each major V.
Put pepper in cold water and soak it overnight in refrigerator. This will spread branches
out.
- Trim ends off carrot and peel it. There are various ways to texture carrot into a palm
tree trunk. One is to cut out short horizontal notches with a scoring tool. Another calls
for cutting notches out with a paring knife. The preferred way is to make shallow
downward cuts just under surface. These are incomplete cuts; they remain attached at
bottom and their tops are manually bent out. They'll curl out even more when tree
is displayed.
- For base, cut potato (the economy island) in half along its length or use end cut from a
pineapple, (the deluxe tropical island) at least 1 inch thick. Set bottom of carrot trunk
in middle of base, score a line around it, then cut a hole for trunk going completely
through base. Press trunk into base.
- To display tree, push a wooden pick point into top of trunk leaving a quarter inch
exposed. Set opened pepper onto tip of pick.
- You can convert a carrot net into a hammock by threading a short skewer through weaving
at both ends. First fold each end/over once, then thread skewer through double thickness.
Of course, if your net's a bit on thick side, you can skip folding over step. Lash hammock
between 2 carved palm trees, notching their trunks and securing skewers to trees with
kitchen string. Cover string with wilted green onion leaves as pictured, if desired.
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