Fall in Maine means color, crisp cool air, and moms Thanksgiving Turkey. Living with a caterer means every holiday is a taste testing party.  Thanksgiving is no exception; the only thing that doesn’t change is the turkey.  Garnishing the turkey is a task all its own.There are general rules for garnish that make the cooks life easy. Applying the rules will allow even a beginner to make an elegant turkey.

Tip number one, stay in season. Garnish your turkey with fall appropriate foods. It will save your budget and be the most appropriate garnish available.  Apples, cranberries, carrots, parsnips, concord grapes, and gourds are all in season.  Use them to your advantage, along with some fresh parsley you will have an array of items at your disposal for garnish

After that use the color wheel.  We all learned it in art class and it comes into play here.  Using complimentary colors (colors opposite on the color wheel) will draw the eye toward the turkey, the centerpiece of the meal.

The Final and most important rule for garnishing anything is Less is more.  Your turkey is a sight in itself and it shouldn’t be drowned out by the garnish.  Choose one decorative piece, and leave the rest whole or sliced.

Applying these rules to the turkey is fun.  Start with a platter, preferably off white. Lay the flat pieces of kale along the platter in a single layer. The platter should show through between the Kale. Place the turkey on the kale, and fluff the stuffing. Do this with a fork, and do it carefully so that the turkey appears to be overflowing with stuffing.

Decide on your decorative element.  The standard at my house is a rose carved apple. It is placed between the legs of the turkey.   It is easiest to cut into the bottom portion of apple.  Finally we use cranberries grapes and the smallest gourds sprinkled around the outside of the turkey.

If your turkey will be on the table for awhile before carving, a piece of cheese cloth leftover from cooking can be cut in a leaf shape and placed along the largest part of the turkey.  This keeps the Turkey moist in a simple way that does not interfere with the rest of the garnish.

When garnishing remember that these are guidelines and anything can be used as long as it looks appealing.  The most important  thing is to enjoy what your doing and cook your Turkey with love.