Shopping bags

[happystuff]

Suppose you buy lettuce, scallions, carrots, parsley, what exactly do you store it in in the fridge if not the produce bags? Naked in the veggie drawer? Any particular storage containers?

It's never made much sense to me. Nor has getting rid of grocery bags when I use them for trash but I use paper bags for that, so banning plastic grocery bags is fine with me (they kind of are banned many places here but nor is the law entirely followed)

I keep mine in the mesh bags I previously mentioned. They go from the grocery store right into the veggie bin in the fridge.

[Eric]

I got some cotton mesh bags on Etsy that I use for produce. I think there are nicer bags on Etsy than the ones I got, but they work and are holding up. I only do naked produce at the checkout for things it doesn't matter as much for (bananas, onions, garlic, potatoes, etc.), and for anything with a more porous surface and high surface area to volume ratio, or anything I get in large quantities, I bag them up (greens, celery, mushrooms, etc.). I also have a few non-mesh cotton bags for grains, nuts, coffee, etc. from the bins.

For reusable grocery bags, I really like the L.L. Bean boat and tote bags. They are quite durable and can handle a lot of weight. Also they have many other uses. I keep four nested medium size boat and tote bags and about 15 mesh and non-mesh cotton produce bags of various sizes in my trunk.

And when I put produce in my fridge, anything that needs to be in a bag/container I put in Ziploc gallon freezer bags. When the produce is used up or goes bad and I'm done using the bags, I wash them in cold water with a little soap (they seem to last longer when not exposed to hot water), put the clean bag on my arm and give a few fist pumps to disperse the remaining water in the bags for easier drying, then hang them upside down on the leaves of my indoor plants to dry.

Also, I've found that some produce (e.g. cilantro, parsley) lasts longer if placed in a cup or vase filled with a few inches of water, with a bag covering the leaves/shoots. I put produce that I store this way on the door to avoid frostburn, and take it out every week or two to change the water and trim off anything going bad. I've noticed that if I do this, I can get some things to last much longer in the fridge.

Also I've noticed organic foods last longer than conventional in the fridge, sometimes by several weeks. It seems like it is probably related to the more hazardous pesticide residues used on conventional produce that remain on the plant or have been absorbed by its tissues, and that consuming conventional produce may also affect our shelf life. Although there are too many factors to be able to tease out the lifetime effects of consuming trace levels of conventional pesticides in produce over a lifetime, I'd rather play it safe for most things (certain produce items in particular like strawberries and apples, less so things like pineapples or avocados which to my understanding generally have low or no pesticide residues even in conventional/non-organic...basically anything grown above ground with a highly non-porous skin and/or few natural pests/low pesticide application).

[iris lilies]

Since we are back to having a cat, the plastic bags come in very handy for cat litter disposal.


I had forgotten how messy cats are. This little cat at 8 pounds is always prancing around with his cat littered dusty feet and I can see every place he has been. Our previous cat was a large old lump of a thing who never jumped up on chairs or tables, who just never jumped. She left all of her debris on the floor.

[Eric]

Since we are back to having a cat, the plastic bags come in very handy for cat litter disposal.


I had forgotten how messy cats are. This little cat at 8 pounds is always prancing around with his cat littered dusty feet and I can see every place he has been. Our previous cat was a large old lump of a thing who never jumped up on chairs or tables, who just never jumped. She left all of her debris on the floor.

Have you tried pine litter or similar? Stack one bin on top of another, drill some holes in the bottom of the upper bin. When the cat poops, scoop, when they pee, the litter turns to sawdust and can be agitated into the lower bin, similar to how a sieve works. You can put an enzyme cleaner in the bottom bin to help minimize odors--Biokleen has a laundry detergent with enzymes, which is more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than buying jugs of nature's miracle (which costs $30 per gallon and is ~95% water...just buy the enzymes and add water yourself). And pellet fuel is basically the same thing as pine litter but only costs $10 for a 40 lb bag. Pine litter/pellet fuel is a lot less messy than clay, very hard for a cat to kick out of their litterbox. It does absorb odors over time; I usually dump the spent litter/sawdust in the bottom bin once a week, and dump the whole box every month or two when it starts to smell. A 40 lb bag probably lasts about six months to one year per cat. If you can convince your cat to make the switch...if your cat is still young, there's hope they could adjust to the change.

Also, don't know if this is the most environmentally friendly thing to do, but I flush cat poo down the toilet so no need for bags. I try to dust my yard with the spent pellet fuel/sawdust, it is mostly just carbon/wood that will biodegrade in the wet and humid climate of south Louisiana.

[JaneV2.0]

Since we are back to having a cat, the plastic bags come in very handy for cat litter disposal.


I had forgotten how messy cats are. This little cat at 8 pounds is always prancing around with his cat littered dusty feet and I can see every place he has been. Our previous cat was a large old lump of a thing who never jumped up on chairs or tables, who just never jumped. She left all of her debris on the floor.

Has he made inroads with his brother yet?

[iris lilies]

Have you tried pine litter or similar? Stack one bin on top of another, drill some holes in the bottom of the upper bin. When the cat poops, scoop, when they pee, the litter turns to sawdust and can be agitated into the lower bin, similar to how a sieve works. You can put an enzyme cleaner in the bottom bin to help minimize odors--Biokleen has a laundry detergent with enzymes, which is more cost-effective and more environmentally friendly than buying jugs of nature's miracle (which costs $30 per gallon and is ~95% water...just buy the enzymes and add water yourself). And pellet fuel is basically the same thing as pine litter but only costs $10 for a 40 lb bag. Pine litter/pellet fuel is a lot less messy than clay, very hard for a cat to kick out of their litterbox. It does absorb odors over time; I usually dump the spent litter/sawdust in the bottom bin once a week, and dump the whole box every month or two when it starts to smell. A 40 lb bag probably lasts about six months to one year per cat. If you can convince your cat to make the switch...if your cat is still young, there's hope they could adjust to the change.

Also, don't know if this is the most environmentally friendly thing to do, but I flush cat poo down the toilet so no need for bags. I try to dust my yard with the spent pellet fuel/sawdust, it is mostly just carbon/wood that will biodegrade in the wet and humid climate of south Louisiana.

Sorry, am not going to fuss around with pine litter ( I don’t really know anything about it!) and I would never flush the clay stuff.

jane, William Bill ( the cat) is fully integrated with our bulldog. Mostly the two ignore each other but at times there is affection shown toward one another or there is a chase game. this is a relief because I feared our active bulldog might be too aggressive.

[JaneV2.0]

Sorry, am not going to fuss around with pine litter ( I don’t really know anything about it!) and I would never flush the clay stuff.

jane, William Bill ( the cat) is fully integrated with our bulldog. Mostly the two ignore each other but at times there is affection shown toward one another or there is a chase game. this is a relief because I feared our active bulldog might be too aggressive.

Excellent--and their relationship is still young, so it will only bloom.

[Tybee]

Our cat adored our dogs. One of my saddest memories was when our Pyr died, our cat came over and kissed her on the nose.