I Speak for the Trees: #25

I thought Earth Day deserved a special bento, so I give you The Lorax guarding his remaining truffula trees. The blue background is made with sushi rice dyed with red cabbage juice mixed with just a smidge of baking soda. The green field is made with brown jasmine rice mixed with smashed peas. I also added a little coconut milk to all the rice since sweetPea adores it so.

The truffula trees are made out of jicama. The pink one was dyed with beet juice. We attempted to dye the white one yellow using orange juice, but it didn't really work. It changed color a little, but not enough to really tell. I think next time maybe I'll try turmeric. For some great ideas on natural dyes check out this article from Just Bento. I'll probably also use some of those ideas for egg dyeing.

The tree trunks and the Lorax are made out of cheddar cheese with nori and provolone details. I also added little red cabbage bushes at the base of the trees. I got that idea from a post by Anna the Red. Her Lorax is made from sweet potato, which I thought was a great idea. I wish I could have done that, but Pea has suddenly decided she no longer likes sweet potatoes.

How long did this take? A ridiculous amount of time, but we had a great time. Pea and I were having fun with the dyes. It was pretty cool how just a touch of baking soda turned the purple cabbage juice into a beautiful blue. Talk about practical science. We also talked about how making bentos is earth friendly because we reuse our boxes and make our own food rather than using packaged items. I feel like it was time well spent.

Added to What's For Lunch Wednesday. Check it out for more great lunch ideas. :)