It’s so easy to get off track in holding true to our values & beliefs. It’s important to be able to take a step back & look at our lives from time to time and make sure we’re where we wanna’ be. Most of you know I’m very passionate about living as plastic-free as I possibly can. Over the last few months I’d resorted to buying those bagged salad mixes (organic of course), you know, they come with some crunchy things for the top, ususally some dried cranberries or pumpkin seeds, and a pack of salad dressing included. So convenient, no chopping of multiple things, and really tasty too, I was really digging them. I felt good about putting an organic salad on the table….
Until a few nights ago when I threw one together, then took a good look at the mound of plastic on my counter: 4 different plastic bags laying there, for 1 salad. NO MORE. I’ve banned myself from purchasing them.
(Pic below as an example, from Google images):
Yesterday I shopped at my local food co-op & brought home a pile of fresh produce with 0 plastic bags, it just felt so much more in line with my beliefs.
Vejibags came into my life at the perfect time for this plastic-reduction mission! I love what they are made from, and that it is truly a made in USA product from start to finish!! Made from: Undyed, Unbleached, 100% organic french terry cotton, grown by the Texas Organic Cotton Marketing Cooperative, and hand sewn by employee-owned Opportunity Threads, in Valdese, North Carolina. There is nothing to not love about that!
How they work, in their words from their website: OUR ORGANIC COTTON KEEPS PRODUCE VIBRANT FOR UP TO TWO WEEKS WITHOUT PLASTIC. While conventional plastic bags and boxes suffocate vegetables by trapping stale air and ethylene gas, our damp cotton bag keeps moisture-loving vegetables alive and crisp in a high humidity, breathable environment. Just like cut flowers, vegetables need water to stay vibrant. The key to keeping veggies crisp is moisture. When damp, the cloth Vejibag keeps moisture-loving vegetables moist and crisp in a breathable but high humidity environment. Moisture slowly evaporates from the surface of the bag to circulate air and keep the vegetables “breathing.” The slightly moist environment of the bag keeps vegetables crisp far longer than vegetables stored in a plastic bag.
And indeed, they really truly do what they say! I’m super in love with my Vejibags! I prepped salad for the week on Sunday, we finished it up on Thursday and it was as perfectly fresh as when I chopped it on Sunday! We had a salad nightly, on Tuesday we did taco pizza & I was able to just grab a handful & throw it on top & viola, done! I’m soooo happy to be cutting plastic out of this equation, saving money on the produce vs buying the pre-bagged salad mixes I had fallen into a rut of purchasing, and I know these bags will pay for themselves in no time!!
Below: top left= prepped salad for several days in the Standard Bag. Top right= a head of lettuce, a bunch of kale, a couple bell peppers, a couple cucumbers, the “bulk” veggies left after the salad prep was done. They will be used up in other meals throughout the week, this is the XL bag. The bowl in the front is an example of our nightly salad. The already chopped, mixed greens/veggies get topped with feta, pumpkin seeds that we roast ourselves, avocado, sprouts if we have them, then dressing of course.
And to think, I just learned of these a few short weeks ago, thanks to a post in my closed group page on Fb, where I learn new stuff daily! https://www.facebook.com/groups/944480978913682/
A Facebook update I did: Tonight we finished up the salad that I prepped on Sunday. It’s Thursday, so that was 5 nights of salad. It looked absolutely as wonderful tonight as it did when I made it on Sunday. I’m a believer in the Vejibags 100%. Expensive yes, but any replacement to plastic is worth it to me!! I know I will be using these for years to come.
Below pic= what was left on Thu.
The XL bag is HUGE. There are 2 heads of lettuce, 1 bunch of kale & parsley, 3 cukes & all the broccoli in here (from the above pic showing what I brought home from the food co-op plastic-free)!
Below is my crisper drawer, the XL bag with all the above & the smaller ‘standard’ bag with the week’s prepped, chopped salad both take up the entirely of 1 crisper drawer. The other has things like grapes & other fruit (one area hard to get away from plastic, I’ve never found raspberries for example that are not in a plastic clam shell). But, we do what we can, when we can, where we can. And being aware of plastic use is HUGE on my awareness agenda!
These bags have become part of my daily life, and to think I just learned of them recently! Discovering new (to me), homegrown, organic, plastic-free goods will never, ever, EVER get old to me. I place so much value in what Vejibags have to offer, and want to encourage you to support them if your values align as well. These also make excellent gifts for that certain someone who seems to have everything. They likely don’t have 1 of these! https://www.vejibag.com/products/
Finally, thank YOU for taking the time to read my thoughts!
Eco-friendly baby/family products MADE in USA 