05.18.2011 My packaging free trash free kitchen
Last month I did something radical. I went an entire month without creating any trash in my kitchen what so ever. All the groceries that I purchased were packaging free... no bags, no boxes, no plastic bottles, no paper towels, no paper napkins, no packaging on my meats, cheeses, vegetables, bread, etc. After a week or so of finding my way... getting myself familiarized with all of the proprietors that could accommodate my efforts, I absolutely fell in love with this way of shopping and living. It is very simple (with a little planning) and rewarding.
I was intrigued and eventually moved into action after reading about Bea Johnson, the author of the blog The Zero Waste Home. She and her family live a complete zero waste lifestyle. The entire contents of their family trash for six months fits into one wine glass.
Why? you might ask. Let me first say that I'm no hippy, I drive a car, I fly on airplanes, and I don't care for granola (accept for my mom's recipe). The reasons are many but I've boiled it down to the main three... 1. For the Earth... I'd like to hope that the earth I pass on to my children is a better place, not a used up carcass of a planet. 2. For my children... teaching them by example to appreciate and be grateful for what they have and not waste and want more. 3. I truly believe that the food we eat, when not processed for packaging, is a better quality in both taste and nutritional value. Also, organic is great, but organic without plastic packaging that is grown locally is even better!
Above is a photo of the mesh bags and dishes, etc. that I take with me to the grocery store or farmer's market. All produce and bulk items go into the mesh bags. My bread I buy at the bakery, have them slice it and put it into my bread bag. Flour, sugar etc. go into flour sacs (pre-weighed with the tare written on them). Fish, meat, cheese, etc. are weighed at the counter and put directly into my glass dish. The pesky "sticker" is then put on my lid.
There are very few items that have stumped me and when I can't buy those items packaging free then at last resort, I buy them in recyclable containers (but no plastic). For example wine, milk and Dijon mustard. All my vegetable scraps are sent in to my daughter's school for their composting bin that goes to feed a wonderful organic garden. When school is out, we're going to start composting ourselves for our garden.
Farmer's markets are the easiest place to shop for me because their produce is sticker free and the vendors love it when you refuse their bag. I also shop at Whole Foods for my bulk foods... they have a wonderful bulk food selection in my local store. I found a small health food store in my town, that sells bulk spices. I grow my fresh herbs in my garden.
This "minted French du Puy lentil salad" is witness to the fact that easy delicious meals are simple to put together with my packaging free lifestyle. I was worried how my family would react at first. My husband loved it and got into it 100 percent with me. My teenage son was skeptical at first and said , "But mom we aren't Amish!" He finally came around after he realized it actually improved his dinners and that I still made tarts and desserts without any difficulty. My 7 year old daughter has never realized we changed things... she isn't missing a thing.
The coffee comes from our local coffee roaster, Jojoka. My husband brings in our empty coffee jar, has it filled and chats it up with Johan at the coffee bar over an espresso. The olive oil, salts and even candied ginger are all purchased bulk.
People's reactions to this could be a blog post all on it's own. Most people are interested and supportive. Some people behind the meat and cheese counters act put off but I suppose it's because it's just different for them not to wrap everything in paper and seems an unusual request. Now they all know me at the places I frequent and we have our little "routine" down. As I walked away from the fish counter yesterday, the fish monger called out to me, "You go girl!" Such positive support keeps me going.
Packing free minted French du Puy lentil salad
1 pound French green (du Puy) lentils
1 bay leaf
2 garlic cloves cut in half
3 celery stalks - cut into a small dice
4 scallions, green and white parts, sliced
1 red pepper - cut into a small dice
1 yellow or orange pepper - cut into a small dice
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, minced
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
fresh spinach for the bed
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add garlic, bay leaf and lentils. Simmer for 20 or until the lentils are tender. Drain and rinse under cold water. Discard the garlic and bay leaf.
Whisk the lemon juice and olive oil together in a large bowl. Add the lentils, diced vegetables, and herbs and stir. Season with salt and pepper. Serve on a bed of spinach.
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Reader Comments (27)
You are such a kindred spirit! I have had this same concern very immediately for the past two years. I was struck last year purchasing 2 frozen gluten free pizzas (good organic brand) and 4 boxes of gluten free mac and cheese for those times when I have no time with mouths to feed that the entire shopping bag was full of just those items due to the packaging all of which was non-recyclable. We buy most things from farms so can avoid packaging as well as compost alot in our curbside composting program. Our recycling bin is 3 times larger than our garbage bin as well. Kids use cloth napkins in their lunchboxes, we avoid plastic bags whenever possible. It takes thought but with children developing so much eco consciousness in school these days we must be responsible to model as much at home as we can. And even separate from kids, as world citizens we owe it to ourselves and others to act in a responsible caretaking role for our environment. Bravo to you!
lisa, you go girl!!!!
thanks for sharing this, def challenging the way i do things!
while i don't know if i change as radically as you did but i will be trying to go plastic-less whenever i can!! this is actually the first time ive seen meat not wrapped in plastic lol!
That's fantastic, what an accomplishment! I try to waste as little as possible but I've never gotten down to zero waste.
This chick-a-see is so smart!! Way to go Lisa! I will see how far I get at Kens next week.
This is awesome! You've inspired me!
Boulder Locavore ... I knew you would relate to this post when I was writing it! So tell me what's a curbside composting program? I've never heard of this and I'm intrigued.
Well done! I try to use as little packaging as possible, and you have inspired me to try even harder. Beautiful photos!
This is a great accomplishment indeed. Last week there's a TV report here about a Britain's greenest family. Their garbage bin was totally empty. It was really amazing to see that they produced no household waste..... I have been collecting empty bottles for other uses, saving laundry water to rinse the toilet, getting the groceries with reusable bags, etc. I don't think I could ever reach the greenest level, but I think every little helps.
The lentil salad looks so colourful, inviting and healthy.
I've been working towards this as well, but have a long way to go. Where do you find things like pasta in bulk? I shop at Whole Foods as well, but haven't seen that available.
Good for you!!! What a wonderful thing to do. :-) I'm so proud of folks like you who live out their values in such a beautiful way. :-)
amazing and inspiring!
Very inspirational! Thanks!
Brilliant post, and thank you so much for sharing such a perfectly practical idea!! I will be phasing a “no packaging” plan in the immediate future. How neat not to have to take out the icky fish/meat packing trash as soon as we finish dinner before the ants attack it. In fact, I am continuously astounded at how much trash “conventional” home cooking throws off! Where did you get the mesh bags?
I must admit I’ve got “space envy”....my jars of dried legumes and grains are crammed in a wire rack hung over the back our kitchen door, and are not sparkly-clean like yours :(
Definitely going to try that salad, as I love puy lentils and have practically all the veggies/herbs growing in the garden, but can only afford the space for one color of bells.
You're rock, Lisa! We do our part as well, although with varying success especially in the winter, but now that the farmers markets are open here it's full steam ahead. Your lentil salad looks divine , btw. Adma will love it, anything lentil is good with him! Keep it up, you're an inspiration to us all!
Lisa, you have inspired me! If it can be done, and it obviously can, then I am going to give it a try...I hate waste!
That's a terrific salad... I especially like the lentils. :)
Lisa! Iincredibly inspirational! Saw this on FB and had to jump over to your blog to see how you did it. Not sure you can continue this up at CBC, but it's great you've found a routine in Naples. You go, Girl!!!
Trash free is absolutely amazing and a great inspiration.
Valerie, I find my pasta at the farmer's market. It is from a local company that makes handmade pasta. They sell it in plastic bags, but I have them remove the bag and put the pasta in my own mesh bag. They then reuse their bag.
Brenda, I got the mesh bags at Target... they are sold in a set of five.
You are inspiring. Thanks for all of the great tips. I would like to try and cut back on the amount of packaging I am throwing away, I have never really thought about it until now. I would have never thought to bring my own containers to the store, but that is a brilliant idea.
Ouah your pictures look delicious! Congradulations !
Beside, I love ths colors...
Bye Bye !
Wow, Lisa, Amazing what you did...very impressive and go for it! I love the mix of lentils...very colorful and full of flavors...perfect meal. Have a wonderful week :-)
What a wonderful goal. I try to reduce my use of packaging but have never dreamed that I could go waste-free. You, go, girl! :)
What a great idea! I love this! And not only are you helping the environment and setting a good example for your kids...you've also created a beautiful display of ingredients on your wall! I love the look of your jars filled with interesting ingredients against the yellow paint - both functional and beautiful!
You are very inspiring! I agree we create a lot of unnecessary waste in our every day lives. I think I'm going to take on the challenge in November. I'll let you know how it goes!
I kept this post from last spring and just re-read it. I started small by just never taking a bag at any store when they offered to put something small in a bag - I just popped it into my purse or carried larger things. But going to the extreme like you did is quite a challenge and an accomplishment. BTW, Toni (Boulder Locavore) I don't think responded to your question about curbside recycling. Here in Denver (and I'm sure in boulder where Toni is also), it's part of our trash pickup. There are dumpsters for trash, recycling bins (that's most of my "waste"), and these big green compost bins - all compostables go into that at my house and the city takes them and sells it to a company who composts. Good deal for everyone - I like that the waste is composted, but don't really have space in my city yard for doing it myself and don't really want to do it myself. Anyway, I'm inspired again after re-reading your post to revisit my level of waste!
Michele, Glad to hear you saved this post! I love that Denver does city composting! My city, Naples, FL doesn't do that yet so we started last to compost on our own. I've found it to be surprisingly simple, but we have a big garden so I use my own compost up in our own garden. Thanks for your comments... you've inspired me to do more packaging free posts in the near future!