1. The perfect produce bags to shop and store fruits and veggies – We made our muslin bags to be a great alternative to those flimsy single-use plastic produce bags in grocery stores. Our bags can carry a lot of weight, hold produce of different sizes from small berries to large melons. Being made of organic muslin, they are breathable, allowing for ethylene gas to escape and keep produce fresh for longer. They also prevent bruising of tender fruits and greens. We love them and we are sure you will too!
2. The ultimate bulk shopping companion – Do you buy your legumes, lentils, grains, nuts and snacks in bulk? Then, you have no reason not to own a set of muslin bags. With the draw string mechanism and tare weight sewn in, you can easily and safely bring bag home all your bulk goods in our light weight and eco-friendly muslin bags.
3. The nut milk game-changer – There is nothing more delicious than a smooth, rich and creamy nut milk, be it almond, oat, coconut or cashew milk. You can easily make nut milk at your home with these muslin bags. Soak some nuts and blend them. Pour the blended milk into the muslin produce bag and keep twisting, squeezing and tightening the bag to get every last drop of precious milk out of your pulp.
4. The magic sprouter - Sprouting increases nutrient levels such as protein, folate, magnesium, phosphorus, manganese and vitamins C and K. You can sprout nuts, grains, and seeds like garbanzo, peas, and lentils using a muslin bag. Place your ingredient of choice in the bag, soak overnight, then drain. Hang the bag on that oh-so-convenient drawstring, rinse it in fresh water once a day, and, after a few days, you’ll see tiny, sprouts begin to emerge.
5.The fool-proof cheesecloth – Now you can make some cheese at home. Use the muslin bag to remove whey from cheese curds and hold them together as the cheese is forms. Ricotta, Farmer's, and Goat Cheese are three types of cheese that can be made at home using the muslin bag. You can use it to make tofu, cream cheese and thicken yoghurt and sour cream. Queso blanco and queso fresco are Spanish and Mexican cheeses that are made from whole milk using cheesecloth. Paneer is a kind of Indian fresh cheese made with cheesecloth. The uses are limitless. Don’t forget to toss the fabric in the wash when finished!
]]>Vegetables need to breathe. An airtight plastic bag is the worst choice for storing vegetables. And don't pack veggies tightly together either as they need space for air circulation. Many fruits also produce ethylene gas, which acts like a ripening hormone and hastens spoilage. Our mesh produce bags are breathable, absorb moisture and allow ethylene gases to escape, thereby keep fruits and veggies fresh for longer!
Potatoes, onions, and garlic are cold-sensitive items and don’t do well in the fridge. Storing them in cool, dark spots elongates life for up to a month. Ethylene emitters such as avocados, bananas, peaches, nectarines, tomatoes, pears, and plumbs, are best kept on the counter and can be tossed in the fridge once ripe to lengthen shelf life.
Keep ethylene emitters away from the greens to prevent wilting. Store potatoes and onions separately as both release moisture, so mixing them together can cause them to go bad faster. Keep an apple in the bag of potatoes as apples produce ethylene gas, which keeps potatoes fresher and firmer. However, keep apples away from other fruits and veggies for the same reason.
Citrus fruits can be stored at room temperature. However, instead of displaying in a bowl, simply let the fruit hang out to resist mold growth and improve air circulation. The same can do be done for onions, potatoes etc. Also, hang bananas to prevent bruising and reduce exposure of the banana flesh to oxygen that fastens ripening.
When you bring home a bag of fresh tender herbs, use what you need on the day, and then store the rest of the bunch in a glass of water. First, clip off the bottom of their stems, remove any wilted or brown leaves, and put them in a quart container like a mason jar or water glass with about an inch of water at the bottom. Keep them in the fridge and change the water every couple of days.
]]>1. Bar soaps are ECOFRIENDLY
They usually contain less chemicals, no preservatives and most importantly, come in plastic-free packaging. You can pick up a natural handmade bar soap in cardboard packaging or even find it 100% packaging free in certain stores. Just by switching from shower gels that invariably come in plastic bottles and are likely tossed when done to these simple bar soaps, we can reduce our plastic usage. Containing lots of water, body washes are also much heavier than bar soap, resulting in a significantly higher carbon footprint for transportation.
Did you know? We throw out more than 552 million shampoo bottles every year. Almost 20 times more energy is required in product packaging for plastic soap bottles than producing cardboard or paper packaging for bar soap.
2. Bar soaps are EXFOLIATORS
Want to simplify your shower routine? Instead of washing with bar soap then following with a body scrub to exfoliate, there are bar soaps that double as physical exfoliants. We have seen coffee grounds, oats, seaweed, sugar and many other natural ingredients added as exfoliants. I have super dry skin so I welcome the extra exfoliation, all without microbeads of course. Even a regular bar soap can be converted to an exfoliator by using these textured soap pouches while showering. The friction created by rubbing bar soap against your skin can also be more effective at removing visible debris like dirt. Scrub these hypo-allergenic organic cotton pouches with the soap inside directly on your skin and you just saved some time.
3. Bar soaps are SAFE
Companies have encouraged the notion that using liquid soap is more hygienic. However, research shows otherwise. Apart from being made of simple and natural ingredients, studies have concluded that washing even with contaminated bar soap is unlikely to transfer bacteria, especially if the bar gets rinsed off between uses.
4. Bar soaps LAST LONGER
Is your body wash always running out? You may find that a bar soap will last you longer. While you don’t need to use more body wash to get the job done, the fact is that most of us squeeze out way more product than we need. With bar soap, you’re less likely to overdo it. Using one of our eco-friendly soap pouches to store your bar soaps in shower can extend the lifespan of these soaps. These soap pouches reduce breakage and wastage. They bags also hide the sometimes unsightly image of slimy and mushy used bar soaps. When the soap becomes a sliver, just put in the bits and pieces into the pouch and easily use every last bit!
5. Bar soaps are VERSATILE
Bar soaps these days come in many different formulas. You can find bar soaps meant for dry skin, ones that are intended to manage body acne, sensitive skin, and more. With increasing popularity of bar soaps, we now see many beautifully designed bar soaps in every range of color, scent and texture. These soaps can brighten your day and make showering even more fun!
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2) Use mason jars for storage
Mason jars come in variety of shapes, sizes and colors. More than just for canning, they can be used to store spices, legumes, flour, sugar, smoothies, soups etc. They can be stored in refrigerator, cleaned in a dishwasher and reused many times. And, they are pretty inexpensive – a set of 12 Pack, 8 oz jars with replaceable lids for less than $10!
3) Fabric Produce bags
Remember the thin plastic produce bags that we pull from rolls to bag our produce and bulk items at the grocery store! With a set of washable, reusable and recyclable produce bags, you will never be bringing one of those plastic bags home ever again. Bamboo mesh produce bags are a great option for fresh fruits and vegetables. These bags are strong and the mesh structure keeps produce much longer in the refrigerator, reducing your food waste as an added bonus! For dry goodies, muslin bags are an eco-friendly alternative to plastic.
4) Bamboo Cutlery
We have seen enough videos of plastic straws clogging marine animals. If you still have not taken any action, now is the time to get some bamboo drinking straws and cutlery. These straws, spoons, forks, knives and chopsticks are made from all-natural whole bamboo stalks and an eco-friendly alternative to plastic that can be used with any food or beverage. They are washable, reusable and compostable at the end of their lives!
5) Loofah Sponges
Did you know? Your traditional kitchen sponge is likely made of some form of plastic and it is recommended to replace your traditional sponge every 2-4 weeks. Imagine the number of sponges you will have to use in your lifetime. Loofah is the perfect zero waste sponge alternative. Loofah is just a type of squash that is picked, skinned and dried. Loofah sponges are great for cleaning and scrubbing almost everything. The best part – they are completely biodegradable!