Cucumber Palm Tree
This looks a lot harder than it is. You can use a cucumber, carrot or zucchini squash as the trunk. You will need to start this project a day ahead to allow the trunk to "bloom".
Select a slender and straight cucumber or alternative vegetable. Using the paring knife, cut scallop gashes into the skin of the vegetable making sure you alternate the cuts to give it a more realistic look. When finished, cut one end of the vegetable to form a flat surface so it can stand up. Put the trunk in a bowl of ice water for at least a day to allow the gashes to open up.
To make the leaves of the palm tree, select a green bell pepper with 3 "rounds" on the bottom. Cut off stem top and remove seeds and pith. Carefully cut the rounds into oval shapes, but do not cut into the bottom section, which holds the rounds together.
Laying each round on your cutting board with the inside of the pepper facing you, begin cutting a series of diagonal cuts, close together, into but not all the way to the center of each oval leaf. Do the same thing to each of the 3 rounds.
When ready to assemble the tree, slice a potato in half lengthwise. Place one half of the potato, cut side down where you are going to assemble the tree. Using 3 or 4 toothpicks, push them into the potato at the spot the tree is going to be placed. Set the cut side of the cucumber onto the protruding toothpicks. Place the pepper palms on top of the trunk and secure with another toothpick.