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
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Good to know. :)
Very neat! Thanks.
Thanks for the review! Something to look for…
That's pretty neat. Definitely saves on money from having to buy paper and throw away paper plates.
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
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,
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!
those are cool plates for sure! durable. i wonder how much they cost?
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.
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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