Food for thought

Spatula up: Want to have the coolest kitchen scrubbie on the block? Get one of these fruit or veggie-shaped scrubbers. They’re made with natural fiber and color, and are completely nontoxic and biodegradable. The scrubber is gentle enough to clean fruits and vegetables, yet tough enough to scrub gunky pots and pans. Here’s another reason to like it: The fiber is grown and processed by 11,000 farmers and craftsmen who live in impoverished and developing countries around the world. — Jennifer Mastroianni/Canton Repository
Spatula sideways: What the heck is that smell? As I moistened the loofah, a sour-smokey aroma filled the air. Sometimes natural products absorb environmental smells while growing. Loofah is an edible fruit that can be processed to remove everything except the tubes that transported water, then used as a sponge. Fortunately, the sour smell disappeared with use. They aren’t any more effective than a cheap mesh scrubber, but the attached rope that lets you hang them to dry is a nice feature. — Saimi Bergmann/Canton Repository