Aug 11
2009

Putting Palm Leaf Plates to the Test

in Uncategorized

A while back Marx Foods put out a call on their blog for bloggers interested in trying out their Palm Leaf Dinnerware. I was intrigued by the idea of plates made from palm leaves and wondered how they would compare to paper plates, so I let Marx Foods know that I would be interested in trying some plates out. They sent me a few of the hexagonal plates and a few of the rectangular ones as well.
The plates are made from freshly fallen, naturally discarded sheaths of the leaves of the Adaka palm tree (so they can be thrown away or composted after use) which are collected and then put through a process of being washed, hand stretched and flattened, and then molded using a heated press. Grillmaster Fuji fired up the grill to cook up some grub so that we would have something to put on our plates.
On the menu: steak, grilled zucchini, and baked potatoes.
We ate and put those plates through the paces:
After all of that, the plates were still completely usable. These plates withstood abuse that paper plates never could have survived.
I was definitely impressed by their durability, plus they were fun and different. They would make great dinnerware for a luau or beach party, and while you’re using them, you’ll have the peace of mind that you’re not harming the environment.

Coming Next: My Own Personal Julia

{ 13 comments… read them below or add one }

Bob August 11, 2009 at 10:43 am

Good to know. :)

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Nicole-Lynn August 11, 2009 at 10:51 am

Very neat! Thanks.

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Andrea@WellnessNotes August 11, 2009 at 10:53 am

Thanks for the review! Something to look for…

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Jenn August 11, 2009 at 12:19 pm

That's pretty neat. Definitely saves on money from having to buy paper and throw away paper plates.

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Letterpress August 11, 2009 at 1:44 pm

So, wait! Is that last plate showing signs of wear with the stains (and apparent) distortion of shape? Or is that the "before" photo?

I lurk on your blog a lot–enjoying the writing and the food posts–thanks (I'm a friend of your Mom's). Head here for my Julia post: http://occasionalpiece.blogspot.com/2009/08/mastering-art-of-french-cooking.html

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Darina August 11, 2009 at 1:58 pm

How lovely! These would make a perfect presentation for any type of Asian food in general. Much better for a bbq than paper plates. So pretty,

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Fuji Mama August 11, 2009 at 2:43 pm

Letterpress– That is an "after soaking" photo. Many of the plates have natural darker spots on them (it just happens that the one on top of the stack in the first photo doesn't)! The only distortion that occurred was after I soaked one of the plates in water for 20 minutes. The plate was a bit more bendable that before, and had soaked up quite a bit of water (they are pretty absorbent), but it was back to normal as soon as it dried out!

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Lina August 11, 2009 at 5:09 pm

those are cool plates for sure! durable. i wonder how much they cost?

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Plowlady August 12, 2009 at 9:02 pm

I agree with you completely abut these plates. I had done a review on them a while back too, and I have to say, if you want a plate that lasts, this is the one to get:
http://plowlady.blogspot.com/2009/02/palm-leaf-dinnerware-review-these-are.html
Keeping in mind, they ARE disposable plates, not to be kept indefinitely, but you do get your money worth out of them.

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Jeff Walton January 6, 2010 at 4:01 pm

Can you provide more information of the process actually used to make these plates? For example how the hand stretching process works and what type of press they used? I live in Costa Rica and would be very interested in possibly trying this down here.

Thanks,

Jeff

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Alexi May 29, 2010 at 2:21 pm

@Jeff Walton,

Jeff, here is a link to a page with a video showing how the plates are made.
http://www.thewholeleafco.com/page/1/compostable_palm_leaf_tableware/

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praphakaran January 26, 2010 at 8:05 pm

you can see our web for details

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vinod gupta March 28, 2024 at 12:01 am

Enjoy the elegance of palm leaf plates while knowing that each meal you eat helps to create a healthier environment.

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