Bring summer camp flair to your table with a potted tree centerpiece that does double duty as a s'more grilling station.
Most ready-made pine planter boxes are sold unfinished. Personalize your planter box with a self-taping sealer applied with a stain pad or rag.
Fill the planter box with peanuts until there is a 3-inch layer of unused space on top.
Pick up potted junipers, leafy greens, or succulents from the local nursery (odd numbers, particularly three, five, and seven, work best). Look for species less than 12" tall to ensure guests can see each other clearly across the table once the greenery is placed. With the greenery well hydrated, place each potted plant inside the planter box, surrounded of packaging peanuts.To ensure proper safety precautions regarding flames created once the ethanol gel cans are ignited, keep each tree approximately 12" to 16" apart.
Add a top layer of pea gravel directly on top of the packing peanuts. The gravel layer should be about 3" thick. This allows a secure layer of stone for the ethanol gel cans to rest on.
Center each ethanol gel can between each potted plant. Once in place, there should be approximately 4" of clearance on each side of the can, far enough away to prevent flames from contacting vegetation.
Hide ethanol gel cans from view with small clusters of pineapples. Once a meal has been served, guests will be surprised to find that the centerpiece pulls double duty as a s'mores grilling station. Use a lighter to light the ethanol gel cans, then start toasting the chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows on skewers or sticks.
