Pistachios

The kids love pistachios.  We get them without the shells on sometimes, but the kids like them better with the shells.  They are right.  It is really more fun to pull the shell apart, eat the pistachio, and then suck on the salty shell.
This leads to pistachio shells showing up on the floor or in the couch cushions and other places where you least expect them.  And... in the toddler's mouth.


I took the one year old and broke a pistachio open.  The nut clung to one of the two shell halfs.  I held out both in my hand.  He took first the one without the seed, stuck it in his mouth, and played with it.  Then he took the half with the seed, stuck it in his mouth, and a look of pleasant surprise filled his eyes.  He tried to maneuver the shell around and chew the seed, and ended up with a little of both.  Then he spit the shell covered with pistachio pulp filled saliva, out. 


I then separated both sides of the shell and the seed, holding all 3 out in my hand.  He immediately took the seed, leaving the shells. 


Then I again separated just the shell in two, leaving the seed clinging to one shell.  He took his little fingers, perfect for the task, dug the seed out, ate it, and to my surprise, threw the shell in the garbage!


Then I gave him a whole pistachio, shell and all.  He gave it back to me, begging me to open it for him.


I no longer worry about him choking on a random pistachio shell he finds and puts in his mouth.  When he finds a pistachio shell, he brings it to me begging, wanting me to somehow magically put a seed into it.  And when we have a fresh stock of pistachios, I can.