I was browsing around Trader Joe's the other day (ever so briefly childless) and came across these Ends&Pieces of their dried fruit bars. As the back of the package explains, these are the trimmings from the nice, neat, rectangular fruit bars. Here's more detail, if you're curious:
Genius plan to recycle and avoid wasting scraps? Or saavy marketing ploy to an Earth-focused target audience? Answer: both. But that way, really, everybody wins. I'll happily pay $2.49 for those scraps if it means they don't get wasted.
But the best part is what you do with them when you get home. See, from that little window on the front of the package, they appear to be short strips. Oh, no. When you pull them out of the package, most of them are long strips that curl around on a plate or bowl almost like pasta. Or if you're a Curious George fan...
Just think of all the fun you could have with these. Fruitghetti and blueberry "meatballs." String Cheerios on them and make a bracelet. Or just string Cheerios on them for the sake of improving fine motor skills. Use them to decorate foodie faces or graham cracker houses. Eat a plate of tiny snake babies or worms. I love opportunities for open-ended imaginative play.
