Thank you ! You have just solved one of my mysteries. I could never figure out why I found three large boxes of them in a closet when I cleaned out my mother's house. Many of them unopened from the original packaging.

I guess that's why I thought of them as "clutter".

She must have purchased them on sale. I can remember that she stitched them up to make bags to store produce in them for the root cellar ... She also used them in the fridge. The clothe breathes.

It's amazing what our parents / grandparents used to recycle! They were extremely creative and I even think of some "reuses" for things instead of always throwing things away.

I remember my MIL used to wash out all of the bread bags, etc. and hang them on the line to dry. Nothing zip lock in her house. I used to do that when I was younger, but I guess I have resorted to zip lock out of ease, or I use plastic or glass - depends on what I'm using it for.

I am actually thinking of going over to the small thrift shop up here to see if they have some old dish towels I can experiment with for keeping produce longer in my refrigerator ...

I hate throwing food out due to spoilage. I've learned how to make my greens last longer, but it's a time consuming task. Maybe if I use cloth bags instead of plastic with paper towels, it won't be a daily chore.

It's worth the experiment.

Do you ever use the green bags? Those really do seem to keep the produce longer, but they only last so long.

Ginny ...

Yes, I do use them. I have found that if I wrap the produce ... not tightly ... with paper towels and leave the bags open before I put them into the vegetable drawer, the greens last longer than if I rely on just the bags.

I have to change out the paper towels daily. They actually get quite damp within one 24 hour period. Since I don't wash the produce before using, I just dry out the paper towels and use them again. I also turn the plastic bag inside out so that I am not putting the produce back into a bag that has actually has a lot of moisture inside the bag.

Now, I can make lettuce, spinich, etc last for more than a few days. At least it last long enough so that I don't have to throw much out.

I've learned that if I use those bags and wrap the produce, like cucumbers, in paper towel and put it on the TOP shelf, they last for more than a week.

I a wondering if I use cloth bags if I might be able to skip having to change out the paper towels every day. It's kind of a PITA.

Even tho' they deny it at the fancy grocery store that over charges for produce up here, I am convinced that the produce is somewhat "old" before I buy it.

I do that with the paper towels too, Lyn.

I really wish more products were packaged in reusable containers -- like when Miracle Whip and mayo came in glass jars that fit canning lids (not suitable for pressure canning, but fine for water bath canning). Or when flour came in cloth sacks (although I suppose those were rather large amounts and I wouldn't be likely to buy a 50-lb sack of flour or whatever they were). Or even just in packaging that keeps things fresher -- like some brown sugar comes in an zip-top bag. I know doing zip-lock bags would be a lot more expensive than plain bags; but it seems like jars could pretty much all be made to accept canning lids. Or, what about the salt and pepper grinders; couldn't they be made to be easily refillable?

My experience says that most salt/peppers grinders are reusable. Gene

Gene, do you mean the ones that come from the spices section in the grocery? If so, how the heck do you get them apart to refill them?? (I got tired of all the "real" pepper grinders that I bought going bad on me and gave in to using the filled ones from the grocery store... )

I have a grinder i fill with the larger salt.

Sandy ... a lot of cooking sites recommend using a coffee grinder to grind your spices.

I am pretty good at re-using things ... even my zip lock bags ...

My produce bags are old and have some tiny holes in them, but I don't mind because I've found that the produce lasts longer if I don't tie the bag closed. There is less moisture build up inside the bag.

I only use paper towels for keeping the produce fresh longer. I bought a huge package of shop towels several years ago from Costco and use those for my cleaning rags. I can wash those and re-use them and they never seem to wear out.

Mrs buys a lot of freezable stuff in bulk and vacuum seals it. When she empties one she washes it, hangs it up to dry, then reuses it for for something else that needs to be frozen.

Weedwhacker said:I really wish more products were packaged in reusable containers -- like when Miracle Whip and mayo came in glass jars that fit canning lids

We can. We use canning jars for storing all sorts of non-perishable food products. You can buy plastic lids that fit canning jars that are perfect for such usage. Plastic jars get reused (non-food) or recycled.

@Roseblush1 said:
Even tho' they deny it at the fancy grocery store that over charges for produce up here, I am convinced that the produce is somewhat "old" before I buy it.

It's not your imagination. When I buy from our local vegetable vendor who buys from local farms/ local organic farms and local Non-GMO farms our veggies last sometimes over 2 weeks just sitting in our fridge veggie drawer. Big markets love you to come in frequently so that you will buy more stuff, not just what you need. I know it takes time to transport veggies and such to the stores, but I am sure there is some marketing behind all that. GF moved from Minn. and was so surprised that milk only lasts a max of 2 weeks here before it expires. She was used to getting cartons that last a month or more being fresh from the dairies up there.


Mom, growing up in the Depresssion was used to reusing everything from veggie bags to butter tubs. Dad put an end to her hoarding when he couldn't open a cabinet without a stack of tubs falling on him. Once when she was visiting, I was tossing out a jelly jar. I thought she would have a conniption! I asked her if she wanted me to put it in her suitcase. She just laughed, said, "no" but it was a shame to toss it. I assured her I had my small stash of jars but I had enough.

While visiting their home I tossed out a water bottle. I looked up to see both mom and dad staring at me. "WHAT?!!" Seems they rewashed those, too and refiled them from a large jug of water bought from a machine.

If you have had to live without, the fear lives inside you that it may happen again. I understood.

When i pick veges from my garden, they don't get washed until I'm ready to use them. I put them dry, into a plastic bag, and they keep for a couple weeks.
I've never tried it ! But ! I'm , gonna ! Take my store bought veges, and dry them off, and then, put them in a plastic bag. I'm a bettin, they will keep longer !😁!
Somebody else try to !!#
😎😎😎
😎😎

Phillip ...

I always dry my store bought produce before I bag it up. Adding the paper towel to your plastic bag and that will help, too.

Cheryl ...

I live in a small house and don't have enough room to hoard ...

You wrote:

"If you have had to live without, the fear lives inside you that it may happen again. I understood."

We don't have trash pick up where I live. I have to haul my own garbage to the dump. Trust me, after a few trips to the dump, I learned quickly about re-purposing things ...

My mother in law swore by washing and drying each of her veggies AND LETTUCE LEAVES, then storing then in an open bag with a paper towel inside. It does work. But I find the hassle of washing all the veggies to be a chore. We eat a LOT of veggies!

Good morning,

Just caught up.

Good tricks on the lettuce. I've done that for quite a long time. I line a rectangular Tupperware container with paper towels, put down some lettuce or spinach, and continue to layer. I top it off with a paper towel and store it in the fridge. I just peel off the layers as I use the lettuce. It is a rarity if I have to change paper towels due to dampness. I always replace the top paper towel and make sure to wipe off the condensation off of the lid each time though.

You know......I do love zip lock baggies. They're great and you can use them to death!

And yes......I do wash baggies. Not ones with gross stuff in them but if all it had was some crackers or some celery and carrot sticks or things like that I will wash the baggie, open it up, pat it dry and just let it sit a day or two so it is perfectly dry and reuse it. A friend used to make fun of me for this. Uh...I went over and caught her doing the same thing! Boy did I have some fun with that!

As for fresh brand new baggies I use a lot of them to 'measure' out meat that I buy from the store. Buying in bulk is cheaper but there is only my husband and I so it takes awhile for us to get through 5 pounds of hamburger.

I have a food scale so I just measure out 2lbs, 1lb, 1lb and 1/2pound and 1/2 pound and put them in the baggies. That way I have just the right amount of measured meat that I need to grab for whatever recipe I make.

I do the same thing with seafood like shrimp and chicken. I don't need 8 chicken thighs or 4 steaks or 6 pork chops or a whole pound of shrimp all at once. So I'll open the pack, divide into portions and label them. If I know it is going to be in the freezer longer then a week I'll do the same thing using butcher paper to stop freezer burn.

Either way they stack up nice, take up less space and you can 'see' what you're grabbing. Also if you get company you can just pull out one more portion.

If you don't want to do baggies you can wrap things in butcher paper the exact same way. Both methods work equally well.

Oh......and in case you're wondering what to do with that whole can of tomato paste or sauce you opened because the recipe called for 2 tablespoons ---- get it out of the can with a spatula, put it in the baggie and seal it. Press it flat and freeze it. That way the next time you need 2 table spoons of tomato paste you can just break a 'chunk' off and use it. (Guess...you know what 2 tablespoons looks like )

Now as for those 'nasty' baggies you just took raw meat and seafood out of, out of set them aside. As you cook put the trimmed off meat fat, bones, egg shells, vegetable peelings, the flour/breadcrumbs you dipped the meat in to coat, etc. into the nasty baggies. Just zip them up and throw them out. Cuts down on the 'odor' wafting from your garbage can and stops those leaky-drippy things oozing around making a mess inside your garbage bag. (Does that make sense?)

Having those nasty baggies out while cooking is also the ideal time to clean out the things in the back of the fridge you forgot about that are close to becoming sentient beings. Since the 'yucky' stuff gets put in the already 'yucky' baggies you're giving those yucky bags a new purpose.

If my good 'washed' and 'reused' zip bags look like they're on their last day I'll put the dog's 'portion' of food and treats for the day in them. That way I don't have to leave the bag open or sitting around in a place I don't want it. When done I recycle these. It's also a nice thing for the person that dog sits or is kind enough to come over and feed the dog if you can't get home. No guess work required on their part. When done just toss the bag in the recycle.

As for repurposing let's see.........

I've saved old plastic peanut butter and jelly jars and such and have used them to store everything from buttons, nuts, bolts, nails and other little odds and ends in the garage. Who needs the fancy sized plastic 'bins' and 'basket' type of stuff they sell when you have plastic see through jars that never wear out.

Did you know those empty Kraft Parmesan Cheese 'sprinkle' containers, (you know what I'm talking about) make excellent garlic keepers! I'll wash and dry the container real good and then put my garlic bulbs in them, and leave open the 'sprinkle' side of the lid. This way the air circulates and the garlic stays fresh! Fancy 'garlic keepers' for $8.00 my butt! I've had my same 'garlic keeper' for years now!

Lots more but gotta go.
Have a great day.
AG

Sometimes we open cans of things like tomato paste or adobo sauce and only use part of it. Pour the remainder in an ice cube tray, freeze it, then put the cubes in a baggie in the freezer. Thaw only what you need.

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