Reusables

I've always known that you could bring in your reusable containers to Whole Foods and reuse them. In the past I used plastic bags and brought them back over and over. An OK choice but certainly not the best. Quite a while ago I bought several string bags and use them when necessary for produce and dry goods such as beans. Of course rice and flour don't work in those bags. And I simply never thought about bringing in mason and other glass jars, which is what I use to store beans, grains, and other items in my pantry at home. Until one day I noticed a sign at Whole Foods that said we could do just that---bring in our glass jars, have them weighed, and fill them up.


Such an easy thing to do. I only need to take them to the service desk one time. The weight is marked on top with a permanent marker. I then stuck a Whole Foods tag on the side, where I wrote the name and item number. I will be buying most of the same staples over and over again, so no need to change out the tag.


Here you see my reusable produce bags, which I love! I only use them when I have multiple loose items such as potatoes and apples. For one pepper or big items like collards, there is no sense in a bag. I know some people worry about putting their produce directly into the bottom of the shopping cart, but my thought is this: there are so many chances for contamination along the way--animals getting into the fields, hand pickers, machinery, cleaning mechanisms, warehouses, loaders, loading containers, transport trucks, unloaders, the people that put the produce on display, other customers, and more. I'm going to wash the produce before I eat it, some of it will be cooked, some will be peeled, etc. I am not the least bit concerned about having my produce directly touch my shopping cart.

I am always looking for more reusables to implement in my life!