The calendar says September, but there is still plenty of summer weather ahead of us here in the South and plenty of fruit in season to enjoy~
I harvested a medley of fruits at the Farmers Market prompted by some dish inspiration from HomeGoods~
My basket is brimming with pears, white & yellow peaches, blackberries, along with a few apricots~
Pokeberry gathered from a nearby field is woven around the handle of my basket~
A Rustic Mixed Fruit Tart~
I used a recipe from Martha Stewart for a plum tart, but substituted my medley of fruits~ pears, white & yellow peaches, and blackberries. You can find the plum tart recipe here along with a video.
“Live each season as it passes; breathe the air, drink the drink, taste the fruit, and resign yourself to the influences of each.”
~Henry David Thoreau
Taste the Fruit table details:
Plates~ Lenox Orchard in Bloom Peach & Pear Blossom/HomeGoods
Tablecloth- Quilt/Kohl’s
Napkins & Napkin Rings/ Pier 1
Placemats/ Pottery Barn
Goblets/Target
Flatware/ Napoleon Bee- Horchow
Mary, I’m SO impressed that you are able to come up with an incredible tablescape, week after week. You are so very talented in this creative endeavor.
The dishes remind me of some from my past, but I can’t remember who had them…grandma? aunt? neighbor? Whatever, they’re pretty!
Your tart, made from all that delicious looking fruit, has me craving a taste to go with this morning’s cuppa tea.
I’ve never seen nor heard of Pokeberry. I must go google & learn more about it. I love it when I learn something new. Thanks for the push.
fondly,
Rett
Yikes…look what I learned:
“Ingestion of poisonous parts of the pokeberry plant may cause severe stomach cramping, nausea with persistent diarrhea and vomiting, sometimes bloody, slow and difficult breathing, weakness, spasms, hypertension, severe convulsions, and death.”
I hope you didn’t put any pokeberries in the tart!!!!!!! LOL
(I know you didn’t)
Hi Rett~ I read that when I used pokeberry for my tomato centerpiece, back in July. Thanks for telling me though…I was careful not work on my centerpieces on the porch where the dogs might “hoover” any fallen berries or leaves from the plant :-) I have read lots of different info though, it is used to make wine & also supposed to be good for arthritis but I don’t think I’ll experiment with either!
Very pretty Mary! That’s one mighty tasty centerpiece and the tart looks amazing-enjoy:@)
Mary –
You SERIOUSLY should do this for a living. Your creativity and artistic eye are very rare, and then your photographic skills bring them to us in such a lovely way. So very few fellow bloggers would have placed those single berries on the plate, but that added so much to the composition. My mouth was watering waaaay before I even saw that beautiful tart. Those have to be the most lovely pears on earth. Do you know what kind they are? I smiled to myself when I read Rett’s comment on pokeberry. I used to believe that they were so poisonous that they would harm you on contact, similar to poison sumac or poison ivy. Then learned that was not true. So I look at using them like I do wearing white pants after Labor Day in the South……go ahead, but do so at your own risk!!!! Beautiful, again, Mary!!
South……..
Linda~ To be honest I’m not sure what variety the freckled blushing pears are…they look like a Forelle, but were more the size of a Red Bartlett. It’s a little early for them though~
Gorgeous table Mary. I love the fruit basket centerpiece. Fabulous!
Goodness this is a most inviting table.. I love the beautiful basket filled with God’s bounty. A perfect centerpiece. And again, totally in awe of the quilt. I love the piecing and colors in this one.. Your plates are so pretty and compliment the table so well. Gorgeous!
Oh Mary, there you go again! Another GORGEOUS table! Your skills are incomparable. Your basket is beautiful by itself but FILLED is amazing. The fruits are beautiful and make me crave fruit and I am OUT right now (out of fruit, I mean). Love those plates, never saw them at HG:( Please keep doind=g what you do best. Your tables always make my day! Thanks so much!!!! I had never heard about poke berry so thanks to you and Rett for the info!!!! XO, Pinky
That is so soul stirring… Bounty of fresh, outside by the lake…WITH DESSERT! That is a powerful good mix. So many gorgeous shots… We share the same seasons, gorgeous weather for a few more months to enjoy the fruits of our harvest.
I brought about 100 pounds of fruit to the beach, I must say it’s odd seeing it all in a haze of gray, green and blue, but I found something I MUST have at w.s. Which would combine cool colors and all kinds of my fruit… It’s wrong to want to leave here to shop, and your pics are a catalyst!
Mary, that fruit looks so perfect, and the tart! Beautiful as always. xo,
Pokeberry…I wonder if that has anything with what my mother used to call poke salad? According to Rett some parts of it are unhealthy, so I’m not sure. At any rate, you have discovered a beautiful way to use it! It looks fantastic intertwined on your basket! The whole table is beautifully fruity! Everything on the table melds so well. I applaud you for refusing to let go of summer. There’s still a lot left here in the Midwest, too, I assure you. We’re just going through a cool patch. We’re expected to be back in the upper 80s as early as next Monday.
Mary, my thoughts on this post are echoing all the eloquent comments above. You continually create amazing beauty! I truly don’t know how you come up with all these exquisite settings week after week. And it all looks so effortless (which we all know it isn’t)! Your dishes are the perfect compliment to the basket of fruit, and the photos are stellar. When I leave one of your post I feel as if I’ve been on wonderful getaway.
Another homerun!!!
Absolutely lovely, as usual. Saving the tart recipe. It will lend itself to so many different combinations!
As to Rett and Alycia’s comments….Poke salad (or poke salat as my neighbors in SC used to call it) can be cooked and eaten when they are very young and tender greens. After they mature, you do not want to eat them as they can definitely be harmful. One of my neighbors taught me when was the best time of year to forage for them….early Spring when they are just barely greening….but even so, I was terrified of poisoning my family so never relied on my own skills and always went foraging with her….she was also the one to showed me which wild mushrooms were safe to eat.
Each week I look forward to your masterful tablescapes most of all! Mary, again you offer the most stunning and delicious looking table this week. Your basket centerpiece looks so artistic that it should be in a still life painting by a great artist! You have such a romantic eye for design and detail.
Your rustic tart looks divine! I’m sure all the OTMM readers will be making this! Luscious!
Thanks for another beautiful table to delight in!
Yvonne
Oh what a gorgeous table setting!! Your center piece looks awesome!!
Beautiful as always!
Mary, Your bountiful talent is as overflowing as your beautiful fruit basket. Our eyes have enjoyed a feast. I am amazed at how you do it over and over and OFTEN!
Hi Mary, you take just an ordinary basket and turn it into an amazing centerpiece! Stunning, as always! I am always anxious to see what you’ll come up with next!! Your picture-perfect tables should be in a magazine! And the food?? Wow, is all I can say …
The setting, the dishers, the FRUIT! Just perfect. I’m with you about summer not being over yet. It’s still in the 90’s here in Florida even though the stores are filled with fall and Halloween!
So beautiful! Amazing how you can turn a weed like pokeberry into a beautiful centerpiece! And that tart looks yummy!
Oh that fruit tart! That just looks heavenly :) Goes great with the whole fruit tablescape too!
Mary, your table scapes are just fabulous. I love devouring them. Your centerpiece is stunning, and that fruit tart…to die for!!! Thank you for visiting Take Six. Wishes for a fabulous weekend!
I have peaches already cut & needing to be used. Thought they were gonna be crepes w/whipped cream but, maybe… a tart! YUM!!!
And is that GREEN grass I see in those photos? Ours is brown! WE NEED RAIN!!!! Have a great weekend & tell the girls hello for Elle!
Charlene
Oh sooooooo delicious! A feast for the eyes and tummy! Thanks Mary!
xo Yvonne
Just gorgeous!!! From the luscious fruit, lovely dishes to the beautiful setting and view. Your photography is stunning. And well…what needs to be said about the fabulous tart!!! :-)
Fruity and delicious! The blackberries are quite amazing here this year, probably due to the long, cool and wet early summer, followed by a hot and dry August. Perfect conditions.
Everything is just beautiful. Lovely photos – top drawer!
Beautiful table, Mary. Love the stemware, it’s a lovely clear shade of green. The view from your table is fabulous.
Your setting there is always such a pretty one to look at! I love the basket of fruit and the grapevine around the handle. I’d love to dive into that fruit galette!
Absolutely glorious, and if God looked kindly on coveting, I would covet your quilt. Nuff said. Thank you for sharing your magnificent design. Cherry Kay
Beautiful! I love your tablescape and pretty fruit plates, along with such pretty quilted tabletopper! The centerpiece is gorgeous with such perfect looking fruit and the tart…nuff said!! Have a nice Sunday! FABBY
Mary, thank you for joining OTMM! You make everything looks delicious and so beautiful!
xo Yvonne
What a lovely table setting! Your dishes are so pretty and the centerpiece is perfect with them.
Mary, this is the perfect post! The setting, the table, the fruit, the food, the photography…all perfect! I could jump throught the screen! Christie
Just gorgeous….the display, the colors….all so joy filled!
I have to show my husband your blog name. We have 3 boats ourselves.
Have a happy day!
Barb
Oh Mary, I love everything! The view, the dishes, the food, the photos and how you put everything together….Christine
Mary – as always this setting is absolutley beautiful, but beyond that, the photography is stunning. Thank you once again for the enjoyment. Awesome!
Yet again, I am looking at one of your posts and scrolling so slowly to catch every detail. I just love this one. It would be lovely in any setting, but your setting enhances it perfectly. Love the quilted table cloth and the centerpiece, and I’m almost positive I’ve seen those dishes before. But where…?
You are incredibly gifted at this, ya know…
Your tablescape and tart are lovely. I’m happy to have found your blog.
Gorgeous table, Mary. I love seeing your basket beautiful fruit, flowers and poke berries. :) We’ve had so few poke berry plants this year. I guess because of so little rain. The possums are probably going hungry. Thanks for sharing another fabulous tablescape.
Your photos are stunning! The fruit looks so delicious and the tart yummy. This is a very nice post. I enjoyed reading it.
That basket of fruit is so breathtaking and the pastry is unreal. Wow, I would love some. Thanks for joining TTT. Hugs, Marty