Embrace fall's colours for home decor
October 7, 2009
Judy Gerstel
SPECIAL TO THE STAR
Here in central Canada, Thanksgiving feels like the beginning of the fall season. Halloween, following just a few weeks later, is the unofficial end of it.
Southern Ontarians stubbornly try to prolong summer well into October and then make do with a brief fall season before frost signals winter.
For us – unlike Americans who celebrate Thanksgiving at the end of November and consider it the kickoff of the festive Yuletide season – Thanksgiving and Halloween comprise a pair of bookends.
Thanksgiving is a bountiful celebration of plenty and Halloween is essentially a bravado rite of mocking death as nature shuts down and night closes in.
It's the bunching of these two observances that accounts for the merchandising of both at the same time, especially when it comes to decorating and entertaining – and especially this year when spirits are darker and more subdued and Gothic themes dominate.
"Devilish gourds" is how Pusateri's general manager, John Mastroianni, describes the decorations for centrepieces and mantels available this season at Pusateri's food stores and at the Home and Garden store at Yonge and Lawrence.
"We've done a lot of handpicking for unusual shapes and defects, for gourds that are weathered and warty and odd looking," explains Pusateri's creative director John Costa, "and people get it right away. They're really interested in the unusual little guys."
He describes the look as "edgy and not so beautiful."
Also, he says, in keeping with the darker theme, "This year, we're really pushing the chocolate (coloured) sunflowers."
Another trendy item for harvest holiday décor, says Costa, is an iron cast branch that is actually a bud vase. "It represents the look of fall," he says, "of dark, late night and it's slightly Gothic as well."
For those who prefer decorations that are less morbid, Pusateri's is reprising the painted pumpkins that were so popular last year. "They're very whimsical and unnaturally coloured, completely painted in pinks and purples," says Costa, and there are bright orchids available to complement them.
Traditionalists will find lots of natural gourds, miniature pumpkins and candy corn for decorating tables and homes at supermarkets throughout the city while a trip to the countryside will yield berries, branches, dried wildflowers and seed pods.
Tips for Thanksgiving entertaining:
Spray paint bare branches black and pair with white mini pumpkins or gourds and pumpkins in traditional autumn colours.
"Spray
painting it glossy black makes the branch stand out and creates more of
a decorative accessory," says John Costa, design director at Pusateri's
Home and Garden store.
Brine the turkey, advises cookbook author Steven Raichlen, to promote moistness.
"Marinate
it in a saline solution of 1 cup salt, 1 cup sugar and 1 gallon of
water and whatever herbs and flavourings you like. Brine it overnight
and the bird will absorb some of the liquid." Also, cook it unstuffed.
"A stuffed bird slows up the roasting process and doesn't taste as
good."
Unlike Americans, who have football to watch after dinner, Canadian families have to find alternative distractions.
Plan
an outing if the weather is nice – a stroll around the Brickworks or
the Distillery – or rent a themed movie. Among the choices: Home for the Holidays; Dutch; Planes, Trains and Automobiles; A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving.
Prepare
and make lists in advance. "Usually a lot of people tend to forget the
stuffing," warns Pusateri's general manager John Mastroianni. And don't
forget dessert. "Pies are huge this time of year," says Mastroianni.
"Apple pies, apple crumble, pumpkin cream, rum and raisin pumpkin tarts
– we go through 10,000 pumpkins at the two stores."
For something different, consider an after-dinner digestif.
LCBO product consultant Rita Stephens recommends this trio:
Cynar
(LCBO# 118497, $24.95) can be enjoyed as either an aperitif (over ice),
or as a cocktail (mixed with soda water and lemon or orange slice, or
with cola, tonic water).
Amaro Quintessentia (Nonino) (LCBO# 933796, $45.95) is a premium grappa combined with a secret recipe of herbs and spices.
Navan
Liqueur (LCBO# 603357, $40.70) is a vanilla Grand Marnier product that
surprises with the richness of the cognac and a soft, smooth, long
finish.
Read more about Thanksgiving entertaining.
Toronto Star