Although we've been carrying canvas totes in lieu of disposable grocery bags for some time, until a few months ago we held onto a stash of plastic produce and Ziploc bags for smaller groups of items. Of course, we could pile everything into our market bag or cart, but this unsettles our organizational proclivities! We also like having individual bags to keep things separate in our drawer-less refrigerator. But eventually our plastic bags turned ragged from washing and reuse. Fortunately, we found a much better alternative.
All hail the discovery of organic cotton produce bags from ReusableBags.com!
• Organic Cotton Mesh Produce/Snack Bags
• Organic Cotton Net Produce/Snack Bags
We started off with some of the solid mesh bags – 12 large and six small. The large ones are good for things like leafy greens, beans, and pounds of fruit. We use the small ones for foods like herbs, figs, and mushrooms. The bags are sturdy and have held up well to laundering. They also keep produce surprisingly fresh in the fridge. The only drawback is that, opposed to our old plastic bags, it's hard to see what's inside. Now we also have some of the net bags and use them for foods that we want to be able to recognize and pull out quickly, like apples for snacks.
We get asked about these bags every single week at the farmers' market and are full of praise for them. The service from ReusableBags.com has also been great, and they often have special deals on shipping as well as reduced rates if you buy four or more bags at a time.
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I *kinda* get the idea behind these bags. Generally when i shop, i try to a) shop at the farmers market, which means no little baggies are necessary, or b) just not use the little produce baggies at the chain stores. Do i really care if my apples are rolling around willy-nilly in my basket? No. The only exceptions are for things like tomatoes, which are likely to sink to the bottom of the grocery bag on my way out and will get squished if i don't corrall them together.
I have a set of these and LOVE them! I also get a ton of questions about them both at the farmers market and the regular grocery store.
At the farmers market they are nice because they expand with whatever is in them! That way I can grab a bunch of tomatoes on the vine and the bag will mold itself to whatever shape you need it to! At the grocery store they are nice because cashiers can easily check you out without having to corral all of your onions onto their scale. Instead, they can pop the bag on like a regular plastic baggie no problem!
Thanks for the link; these look very useful and a great alternative to reusing plastic bags.
They sell these at the Park Slope Food Coop. I've been hesitant to get them because of the freshness factor, so it's nice to hear that they work.
And as for why I'd need bags (since mh330 asks) if I don't store my greens inside a bag in the fridge, they wilt within a few hours. Likewise with scallions and I can't imagine bringing home a handful of loose green beans. What a nightmare!
I've been using the cotton mesh produce bags for about a year, and I love them (except for their opacity). When grocery shopping or at the farmers' market, they are especially helpful for items that are priced by the pound.
I just avoid using plastic baggies for most things, unless it's something like cherries or grapes, but I tend not to buy those much.
I wonder how well those reusable bags are received by retailers.
Maybe I'm missing the point, but arent these the same as the bags used to corral delicates in the washer? Just rebranded?
Interesting... Perhaps I should get my hands on a set of these.
Emily
I purchased the mesh ones over a year ago but I found that they didn't wash that well so I have hardly used them. Is there a secret to washing them
Grngodes, that's the first thing I thought, it looks like a re-purposed lingerie bag, though these are cheaper and made from organic cotton. My dog has taken to carrying my lingerie bag around the house and playing with it, so perhaps I should get her some bags of her own...
I have a set of the mesh ones in both large and small that I bought from reusablebags.com about a year ago. I love them. At first the check-out staff looked at me a little strangely and asked a lot of questions about what they were, where I got them, why I use them. Now they see me coming and always recognize me by my produce and reusable grocery bags.
As for washing them, I believe the label says cold water, drip dry. I've also put mine in the dryer and they shrink up a bit, but then stretch out again once you use them.
Everything comes around again - I got these cloth type produce bags years ago and have always carried them in my farmers' market bag. They're esp great for mushrooms.
to clarify,
I have the 'net' ones, not the 'solid mesh' ones.
I like these....they're made of ripstop nylon so you can use them for bulk foods like flour and rice too.
http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5621296
i have cotton bags my shoes came in (i don't know why my shoes come in cotton bags, they're Earth brand). are the 'solid mesh' ones not solid enough to hold bulk flour? because my bags are. i don't see why you'd necessarily need nylon, unless there is something i don' tknow (i don't actually use the bags for flour, i just assumed i could.)
I am selling these at SoCal farmers markets and certain stores; 3 small for $5 and 3 large for $10. While they were originally meant for produce, they are great to organize clothes in your gym/yoga bag or suitcase.
I've been looking for an alternative to opaque canvas bags for produce. I tried to use them once and the staff at the market I go to got kind of irritated (to be fair, it's an Asian market and they thought I was using the bags to hide food and avoid paying, and the language barrier is kind of tough). See-through bags would be a big help!