We have been hearing a lot lately about getting rid of single use plastics.  While it sounds easy, I don’t think it will be.  Being told by politicians who jet all over at the drop of a hat to drum up votes not to use plastic straws, just seems a bit hypocritical! People I know faithfully put out their blue boxes and green bins every week.  I have been using reusable bags when I shop for more than twenty years.  (I’m wondering how we are supposed to recycle them as they wear out.)

At the Whitby Farmer’s Market, some of the vendors offer brown paper bags. I have some mesh type bags that I was given a few years ago.  They are great for things like potatoes and beets, etc.  They are also washable. Seen as though a lot of our waste is the containers that come from supermarkets, they need to become part of the solution.  Maybe they could offer reusable bags for veggies instead of plastic.  Stuff like that!

If you go in the Bulk Barn you can take in your own containers.  They weigh them when you go in and mark the weight on the containers.  When you fill them, they weigh them again.  You just have to make sure you take them in clean.  When you go home, you usually empty the plastic bags into containers anyway.  Hence, you can cut out a step and do your small part for the environment.

Just celebrated a birthday with family and friends.  I guess people know me well, I got six bottles of wine along with my favourite chocolate bar- Cadbury’s Fruit and Nut and a box of Turtles.  Also lots of other gifts.  It was a great day.  I also got my nearly fifteen-year-old grandson to sit down so I could get some pictures of him with me.  Next is a picture of me with my dog, Suzie.  In the nearly five years since I rescued her, I don’t have one picture of the two of us together. I probably have hundreds of pictures of my pug when she was still alive.  (Just don’t anyone tell Suzie!)

With lots of fruit and vegetables in season or coming into season, it’s an opportunity to get a few things in the freezer.  Tomatoes can be thrown into plastic bags ready to use in such things as spaghetti sauce.  When they defrost you can ‘squish’ them right in their bags ready to throw into the sauce.  Some fruits like blueberries can go in the freezer on cookies trays.  When they are frozen they can go right into freezer bags and they won’t stick together.  Works for things like peppers too.

All sorts of info can be found on line.  Foodland Ontario is a place to begin. This site lets you know when local fruits and veggies are in season (among other things).  Other sites give info on freezing vegetables.  Many have to be blanched first.  Not difficult if you have a bit of time.

One time many years back, we had an old farm house with a cellar with a dirt floor. I saved tomatoes before they had a chance to freeze in the garden. I wrapped them in newspaper individually and put them in a basket In the cellar.  They slowly ripened in the newspaper and I had to check them every so often.  I used the last one as part of our Christmas Day breakfast.

Hope you get a chance to enjoy the bounty of the season.  I’m looking forward to my favourites, Brussels sprouts.

About the Author

Linda Calder is a retired teacher. She likes to write and enjoys spending time with her family. She also enjoys going on cruises, taking pictures and scrapbooking.