Years ago I heard a joke about a lady declaring as soon as she had bought her sixth package of ‘Cool Whip’ she would have a complete set of matching bowls. Well, now, I still use my Mom’s ‘updated’ version of her grandmother’s recipe for venison mincemeat that called for X# ‘Cool Whip bowls’ of (ingredients).
To this day I have yet to accumulate six bowls before I have them filled and deposited in the freezer, refrigerator, pantry, or work shop. Being a quart size they are perfect for a measure, to mix instant gelatins or puddings, make small batches and mixes, and of course store leftovers. They even come with a cover! If I want to keep food for more than a couple of weeks in the freezer I just add a layer of plastic wrap or aluminum foil between the lid and bowl for an extra layer of freshness protection. You can also slide the bowl inside a resealable plastic bag or fasten with a twist tie or freezer tape, which will allow you to date and identify the contents.
Don’t limit yourself to one product or size container. You will find that cottage cheese bowls fit into quart containers, then move up to sour cream, butter, then yogurt. Even though some yogurt dishes don’t come with lids, they are great for measuring treats for calorie counters, starting seedlings and plants, making individual desserts for the kids or shaping little gelatin molds. Don’t feel bad if one gets tossed, yogurt is a great dietary staple.
The kitchen is only the first place to take those bowls. You don’t even have to be limited to plastic! I keep a tin can in my kitchen to hold hot fat drippings to be disposed off when cooled. Cans come in different sizes and so do paint brushes and painting projects. By putting small amounts of paint or lacquer in a can:
1. It is easier to handle and,
2. If spilled, there is less to clean up,
3. The big can stays sealed so drying out is not an issue,
4. Leftover amounts can be easily slid inside a (Guess what?) plastic bag to be ready for the second coat in a few hours.
See how we got right into plastic bags? I not only reuse purchased zip close bags, but more and more products are being merchandised in reclosable bags of all sizes! I save money by not having to purchase the bags separately, and don’t feel so guilty when they finally get used up and sent to the landfill.
Bigger resealable bags are great to store out of season clothes along with a fabric softener sheet to keep clothes fresh and bugs away.
Small bags can be used to sort most anything from spools of thread by color shades; plastic eating utensils; fishing tackle; camp, camper, or boat supplies. Anything that needs to be dry and compact, yet visible. Small hardware may require more than one bag and frequent replacement, but don’t feel guilty, it really isn’t costing you anything.
I was shopping the other day and met a nice young lady in the kitchen wares section. We were both calculating the per-piece cost of the bags while considering their future uses. I said I lived on a boat and sometimes off shore for days at a time. She volunteered a new bag use and I promised I would use it as well as share it. She said her Mom lives in a small apartment and the trash is removed once a week. She was having trouble with smelly trash so she started putting her food refuse in a reclosable baggie and placing it in the freezer until trash day.
Now how come I didn’t think of that? I used to freeze the cleanings from fish caught in the winter so I could place it under the pumpkin hills on our farm come spring. It Makes natural fertilizer.
So don’t be eager to fill up that tall plastic kitchen bag. Wash, dry, reuse that trash before you throw it out.
“If not Green today, when?”