individually pacaged ice cubes. yes. really.
Basically it is to raise awareness of the worst plastics for our environment--single use plastics, things which are made just to be immediately thrown away as soon as they are bought. But the group also features plastic items that have limited usefulness, to raise our awareness of how we spend money on plastic things that we could easily do without. Specifically the other day she mentioned little plastic containers for storing left-over fruits:
The jokes for this partiular item just tell themselves.
But if people are buying these kinds of food savers, then it must be because don't readily think of other ways to keep these things fresh. So, just in case it is helpful to any of you out there, here are some of the ways I save produce without plastic baggies or special containers:
Banana
For anyone wanting to save half a banana, here is the trick: don't slice it in half before peeling. Peel it down to expose as much of the banana as you plan on eating, but then break off the amount of banana you want. Ideally you break it off as close to the untorn peel as possible. Then just lay the banana in the fridge with the peel naturally lying mostly closed. The next day, not only is the banana still good, but the end should only be the teeniest bit darkened--not at all unappetizing. If you wait more than one day, you may have to cut off the smallest sliver of darkened banana at the end, if the slight discoloration bothers you.
Avocado
Nowadays I never cover my half of an avodado--I just keep the half with the pit and stick the whole thing in the fridge bare on the shelf (flesh side up, obviously) and the air causes just the very top of the exposed flesh to cure, like the skin on pudding. The next day or day after when I want to use it, I just take a sharp knife and cut away the "skin", and underneath it is perfectly fresh. I don't consider this wasteful, since even when I used to put it in a storage container or--long ago--wrap it in a piece of plastic wrap, the outer edge would still get discolored and I would still end up trimming it.
Tomato
If you have half of a tomato left-over, just place it sliced side down on a ceramic saucer--the juices will basically seal the cut to the saucer surface, stick it in the fridge on a shelf, and it will be still fresh the next day (this is for a tomato that has not been peeled, obviously). If you feel better about containing it, do the same thing in a small Pyrex or other brand of glass storage container that has a lid. I just don't recommend doing this in a plastic storage container, since the acid in the tomato juices will make the plastic leach chemicals.
But I actually don't end up with that many bits left over--I learned long ago the number one way to reduce food waste in my kitchen was to cook with whole produce as much as possible. So that means if the recipe calls for half of a vegetable, I always throw in the whole thing. Never once has this ruined the dish. ; ) I try to do the same thing with canned goods, within reason--so if the recipe calls for 1 T tomato paste, clearly I'll be saving the rest for future use, but if it calls for 1/2 a can of tomato sauce, I'll usually throw the whole can in.
AND here is the perfect, mess free way to butter corn on the cob: use a stick of butter, and just tear off an inch of paper from one end. Hold the papered end while you slide the exposed end against your corn. You now have the perfect tool for buttering that is much easier than a knife (and probably does not waste as much) and keeps your fingers neat to boot! If it is a hot day, use a frozen stick of butter, and it will go easily on the hot corn but will not soften in your hands as quickly.
Ok, so those are some of my ideas. Anyone else have any easy and waste-free food storage ideas?
And the whole article on single-use plastics was fascinating--I recommend it.
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