New York Times file
Sunday, April 16, 2017 | 2 a.m.
The origins of Easter grass
The concept of Easter grass may tie to the Dutch, whose holiday tradition involves an Easter Hare leaving his eggs in nests created by children. While these nests used to be lined with straw or other soft plant materials, the method caught on and got its turn with mass-production.
The delights of a classic Easter basket have a dark side. A lot of synthetic materials lurk, especially the spaghetti-like strands of plastic grass. Most people toss it every year, meaning it can end up contributing to the plastic scourge in oceans, rivers and lakes, and birds that snag it for their nests can struggle with getting their feet — and their babies — caught in the super-strong fibers.
If you’re sitting on a massive bag of the stuff, don’t fret. There are ways to repurpose it that don’t involve waiting until next Easter.
CRAFTING
• One of the most basic and clever recycling methods is using the plastic grass as string for beading projects. It’s much bigger and easier for small fingers to work with, and tends to be the perfect length for bracelets. You can even wrap a bunch of wisps of different colors together tightly and let kids braid them.
Difficulty level: Easy
• Challenge more experienced crafters to recreate a famous work by Vincent van Gogh, whose style has a wonderful quality of showing nearly every stroke of paint. Construction paper or poster board, different colors of grass, a pair of scissors and a stick of clear glue are all you need to get started.
Difficulty level: Medium
• For the advanced, there is a method of “fusing” Easter grass to create appliqués similar to what you can make with Angelina Fiber. To ensure you don’t melt anything to your iron, tap an expert at your local craft store for the method.
Difficulty level: Hard
DECORATING
• Fans of silk flower arrangements know the naked stems can look a little spare in a clear vessel. And filling one with pebble-shaped glass or dark sand can create a very heavy piece of décor that’s difficult to play with. Why not artfully arrange any shade of Easter grass as the bouquet’s foundation? Or skip the flowers and create a strata of grass colors in a vase with a cool shape.
• Favorite potted plants that need to be watered get an instant makeover if you weave a few strands of whimsical plastic grass into the soil.
• Crafting a centerpiece for any occasion is a snap with a handful of Easter grass. It can be gathered around candles and place settings or woven with twinkling lights. It can be used as the cushion for live blossoms or tea lights inside glass bowls. It’s got innate festiveness and a shade for every holiday.
DONATING
Even if you can’t find a use for the old grass, there are community facilities that will. Call local churches, day cares, public schools and home-school groups to see if anyone’s biting.
MAKING THE MOST FUN MESS EVER
• For those with the fortitude to do some serious cleaning up afterward, Easter grass is a dynamic stuffing for piñatas and balloons about to be destroyed. Plus, it’s much easier to gather than confetti.
• Instead of toilet-papering a friend’s house, why not call his or her parents first and ask to grass bomb the bedroom? It can be hung from fans and lamps, arranged in shapes and tossed into nooks and crannies for a colorful surprise.
CUSHIONING
• The most obvious play is to use soft and pliable Easter grass as a packing material. It works great for fragile Christmas ornaments or other holiday decorations, as well as those fancy dishes that only come out for special occasions. Especially in place of packing peanuts, the plastic strands make it easy to cushion items and make them look more fun in the box.
• If your dog has a habit of flattening his bed over time or digging at the stuffing such that it clumps unevenly, Easter grass is a quick way to plump it back up. Just be sure the outer fabric is heavy-duty enough to mask the texture and keep the animal from tearing into it and eating the plastic. This method also works for decorative pillows.
COOL ALTERNATIVE
If you decide to stop buying the plastic stuff (for Easter or any other reason), there are many ways to mimic the strands with materials that biodegrade. Not just paper — you can grow your own.
You'll need: Water, wheatgrass seeds, a colander, potting soil, a bowl and a rectangular container
Day 1: Soak seeds. Place grass seeds in colander and then place the colander into larger bowl. Pour in enough water to cover the seeds completely and let sit overnight.
Day 2: Rinse seeds. Lift colander out of water and drain. Leaving them in colander, cover soaked seeds with damp paper towel and pour water on top to rinse. Make sure the seeds don’t end up sitting in water after this step.
Days 3-4: Sprouting. Repeat rinsing process for two days, keeping paper towel damp, until seeds sprout.
Day 5: Sewing. Uncover sprouted seeds and transfer the tangle to a bowl to break into clumps for planting. Add soil to container and place seeds on top. Cover with damp paper towel.
Days 6-9: Waiting. Check grass daily, and be sure paper towel stays damp until grass emerges.
Day 10: Harvesting. Grass should be about 2 inches tall and ready to cut.
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