iStock.com/elena_hramowa
iStock.com/elena_hramowa

Too many vegetables in your CSA and not enough time to cook? Turn leftovers into art stamps that you and your kids can use to create food-inspired masterpieces for your home! Get started with these ideas, adapted from Parents magazine.

Fruits and vegetables to use:

  • Apple (cut in half and blot with a paper towel)
  • Bell pepper (cut off the bottom and blot dry with a paper towel)
  • Broccoli floret (cut a raw floret in half lengthwise and rest on a paper towel, cut side down, for an hour)
  • Brussels sprout (cut lengthwise and insert toothpick in rounded side for easier handling)
  • Button mushroom (cut in half and blot dry with a paper towel)
  • Carrot (cut into three sections to make different geometric shapes; leave one round, slice off four long edges on the second to make a rectangle, and cut the third into a triangle by slicing off the three long edges)
  • Celery stalk (try clustering the half-moon shapes to create a scalloped effect on your chosen surface)
  • Ear of corn (use corn holders to roll corn through bright-colored paint and then roll it back and forth on your selected surface)
  • Lemon (cut in half and let dry overnight)
  • Onion (cut in half lengthwise and let dry overnight)
  • Potato (cut a slice lengthwise)
  • Romaine lettuce stalk (cut off the bottom of the stalk and blot dry with a paper towel)
  • Squash (cut into sections to get different-sized circle stamps)

Household items to decorate:

  • Bulletin board
  • Canvas or cotton apron
  • Canvas storage bin
  • Canvas tote bag
  • Cardboard storage box
  • Cards
  • Cotton placemats
  • Cotton T-shirt
  • Fabric table runner
  • Kraft paper gift wrap
  • Lampshade
  • Notebook cover
  • Paper chains to hang in your sukkah (or your synagogue’s sukkah)
  • Picture frame
  • Pillowcase

The directions are pretty self-explanatory; dip your fruits and vegetables in paint (poured onto a paper plate) and get creative with your chosen surface! To retain the patterns of the more intricate fruits and vegetables (like the lemon and onion), try using foam paintbrushes to paint the surfaces before stamping, rather than dipping them directly into the paint. For more ideas, check out this video.