Table Dressing Martha Offers Some Tips For Creating Beautiful Centerpieces

Q. My daughter is getting married, and I have been assigned table centerpiece duty. She plans to present the centerpieces as gifts to grandmothers, godmothers and special friends attending the ceremony. Help! Carol Schroeder, Menomonee Falls, Wis.

A: Centerpieces are an important part of the reception’s decorations. When you’re creating them yourself, the key is to keep them relatively simple but still elegant and beautiful.

Elaborate floral centerpieces are better left to professionals, who have the expertise to condition different kinds of flowers so they stay fresh through a long reception.

As mother of the bride, you’ll have your hands full, so why not make centerpieces you can plan - and even prepare - in advance? Here are a few suggestions. (You’ll find more wedding-decorating ideas in the new issue of Martha Stewart Living Weddings, available at newsstands.)

Use living, rather than cut, plants and flowers, such as flowering bulbs in the spring, hydrangeas in the summer or a small evergreen in the winter. Be sure to decorate the container.

Try hiding a plain flowerpot in a bundle of tulle. Place the pot in the center of two squares of the inexpensive fabric, gather the tulle around the pot and tie with ribbon. It’s worth splurging on the most wonderful ribbon you can find.

For a crisp, less formal look, place the pot in a white or colored paper bag. Fold down the bag’s top, cut a few slits and lace ribbon through. Tie on a tag displaying the table number.

Candles also make dramatic decorations. A few flowers or sprigs of greenery can be attached to a traditional candelabra with floral wire. Pillar candles of different heights and widths can be grouped together. A single hurricane lantern can be placed in the center of the table. Or you can light a floating candle or two in a wide-mouth glass bowl.

If you don’t use flowers in the centerpiece, place a single stem on each guest’s napkin or, for a particularly romantic look, scatter fresh rose petals around the candles. Twist the petals from the rose stem just before the ceremony.

Q: Could you please give me some information on using cream of tartar in cooking? Can you substitute anything for it? - Margaret Eastridge, Lynchburg, Va.

A: Cream of tartar, a fine, powdery substance, is derived from tartaric acid, which is left on the inside of wine barrels after the wine is fermented. It has several uses in baking.

Cream of tartar lowers the pH of egg whites, making it closer to neutral, which has a stabilizing effect on them. This means that the egg whites will hold their shape better - a necessity for desserts such as meringues. A stable egg foam is also important in many cakes.

Cream of tartar is used in candy making, too, because it helps keeps sugar from crystallizing, resulting in candy that is smooth, not grainy.

Since cream of tartar is a mild acid, lemon juice could be an effective substitute in some recipes, but I wouldn’t recommend it. Baking, more so than other kinds of cooking, really is an exact science. It’s always best to stick to the recipe, unless you’re prepared for some unsuccessful experiments.

You should be able to find cream of tartar in the spice section of most supermarkets. A small container will last for quite a while; meringue recipes, for example, usually call for just a pinch.

Q: I have a problem with my tomato plants. When the tomatoes start to ripen, the leaves and stems dry up. This doesn’t stop until the plant is almost dead. Do you have any idea what to do for this? - Tom Gracie, Bradenville, Pa.

A: It’s difficult to give you a conclusive answer without seeing the plants, but it sounds like they have either Verticillium wilt or Fusarium wilt. These are common diseases that strike tomatoes, characterized by yellowing, wilting leaves and stems. The problem begins with a few bottom leaves and moves progressively up the plant. Unfortunately, there is no cure.

The best way to handle these diseases is to pull up the plants and dispose of them. (But don’t add them to the compost pile.)

To keep this from happening again next year, plant cultivars that are resistant to the diseases. Look for initials after the variety’s name: “VFN,” for example, means the plants will be resistant to Verticillium and Fusarium wilts and nematodes, tiny (usually not visible to the naked eye) roundworms that can cause similar damage to plants.

It’s also important to find a new spot for your tomato plants next year and to continue to move them regularly. The diseases can remain in the soil from season to season.

MEMO: Questions should be addressed to Martha Stewart, care of The New York Times Syndication Sales Corp., 122 E. 42nd St., New York, NY 10168; or by e-mail to mstewart@marthastewart.com.

The following fields overflowed: CREDIT = Martha Stewart New York Times Syndicate