Whether you call it presentation, decorating or garnishing, using fresh vegetables, herbs, fruits and beautiful flowers is often at the core of fabulous meals. Not only can your garden afford you mouth watering taste opportunities, but the colors, shapes and textures you can use are inviting, appealing, and can add dramatically to the presentation of your meals.

You may want to look at cookbooks to get some hints on how to use herbs and vegetables to make meals look more attractive. Do you have cookbooks at home, or can you find some at the library? Review the pictures for ideas. They usually follow a few simple guidelines in using vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers that you can grow in your garden to enhance presentation of the meals you serve.

Color, color, color. Use color boldly and brilliantly. You can mix and match all sorts of colors when using fresh fruits, vegetables, herbs and flowers. There is very little about nature that competes in a negative way.

But you may not want to use too much of the same color when decorating your plates or bowls. For example, you may not want to have a green plate, with a sprig of parsley (which is deep green in color) next to green peas (which are also colored dark green). Mix the colors up a little. You may want to serve the meal on a yellow plate and have the sprig of parsley from your garden next to the mashed potatoes. Experiment. Ask the staff and others if they think the colors you've chosen go together well.

Sometimes "more is more" and sometimes "less is more." It doesn't take a lot to make meals look more attractive. A sprig of fresh mint or a single daisy are interesting when delicately placed alongside desserts on a platter. Or, a lemon, cut in half, set amidst an interesting entre, causes your mouth to water. Suddenly, the food looks more appetizing. These are examples of simplicity at its best.

On the other hand, a fresh appetizer tray with a great variety of vegetables, all cut in different shapes and sizes, with a few whole vegetables for display and "interest," is tempting. Consider placing dip into a whole green pepper that has the inside cleaned out and the top cut off. You can do this with a small red cabbage, as well. Have you ever seen melon cut into balls, placed into a hollowed out watermelon so that it looks like a basket? Using fruit, you've combined color, shape, height and texture to tempt those taste buds!

Details count. A perfect lace ribbon holding together a tiny bouquet of flowers is a detail that says you care and adds a thoughtful, attractive note. Making sure that vegetables and fruits are clean, ripe and fresh is critical to your presentation--no wilting allowed! Wilting is when food turns a different color (such as fresh-cut apples turning brown if you leave them out too long), or when an herb (such as dill) looks limp. Choose your bowls and serving pieces carefully--fresh fruit and vegetables can have juices that run, making the presentation look soupy after a short while. As we discussed earlier, offset the color of your food with appropriate bowls and plates. If you are serving carrots, avoid an orange bowl and try something in a deeper, richer color, such as blue.

Most of all--remember that fresh means fresh! As noted above, wilting takes away the appeal of fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers. Pay particular attention to timing when serving these garden delights. You can't prepare too far ahead and you need to store items at appropriate temperatures so they look and taste their best. Also pay particular attention to cleaning before serving. You affect presentation and taste by the way you care for and prepare fresh vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers.

If you well consider the details, you'll be the most proud and your guests will be the most pleased.