While dining at a friend's home last week, I got a peek at her creative plastic bag drying solution. She keeps it hidden out of sight behind a curtain in her pantry, but the bags are close enough at hand for a trip to the farmer's market.
Many of us already have these ugly little clothes drying gadgets around the house (or have a mom or grandma who does). Besides drying your dainties, it can do double duty to dry your plastic bags and Ziplocs, rendering this hunk of plastic less junky and more useful. Since counter space in my home is already at a premium, I don't have room for the more common type of plastic bag dryer, so this is perfect.
Stay tuned, I hope to have a DIY version of this using old wooden clothespins in the near future.
(Image: Michelle Chin)
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Good idea for the market in JA. We waste a lot of plastic bags here.
I'm happy to see others washing/recycling these bags. I got into the habit when I was living in a place where I couldn't buy such things and pretty much did it out of necessity. Now I can get them easily, but always wash/reuse. A good way to 'go green!'
You would take these to the farmers market? I just take one large reusable bag and unless they're sensitive, like tomatoes, I just let them sit together.
Good idea, and much less of an eyesore than draping them over bottles as I do.
Good idea...my mom used to dry Ziplocs by opening them and putting them over the drinking water spout!
Not sure I understand why you need Ziploc bags at the Farmers' Market? Meat and fish is prepackaged at my market and everything else can live happily in the canvas bags I bring. I bring a few so that berries and tomatoes don't get ruined. Those bags are washable in case something does happen. Saves resources and time :-)
I only use Ziploc bags for marinating and such, so I throw them out after because it doesn't seem worth it trying to get them clean after raw chicken was in there for a few hours. You guessed it - a 15 pack of Ziploc bags lasts months at my house.
Blogland has some simple ideas for making drawstring or handle-version cloth bags from old T-shirts (iron-on tape makes no-sew versions possible), sheer curtains, or any light-weight fabric you might have around. They're washable and store compactly and help keep produce from any source fresh on the way home. No plastic necessary.
@HHRI my example shows ziplocs, use your imagination for drying other sorts of plastic produce bags. Personally, I use small woven fabric bags at the farmers market, but they were kind of spendy and aren't for everyone.