You all know that I am freezing and canning as much as I possibly can from my garden this summer. I just wanted to point out a free source of freezer bags that I am tapping for my own use -- used commercial frozen fruit and vegetable bags. After all, these are freezer bags, right? I keep a pair of scissors tucked to the side of my mixer on the kitchen counter. I encourage all family members to cut all packages open (instead of tearing them open). We save all non-animal product (non-meat/cheese) food bags to re-use, such as the bags that hold cereal, crackers, ramen, frozen fruits/vegetables, chocolate chips, potato chips/pretzels, candy, etc. I've been able to find use for even the smallest bags, you know, portioning out small amounts of raisins or holding a sandwich. As we empty the bags, we turn them inside out and give them a quick wash, then air-dry on the kitchen counter before turning right side out and storing in a box in the pantry.
The commercial bags from fruits and vegetables are perfect for freezing my prepared garden produce. This week, we are harvesting all of the Swiss chard that is about to go to seed. I shred the leaves, steam briefly in the microwave, then pack into one of these frozen blueberry bags. I've been using twist ties to hold the bags closed. When the supply of twist ties runs out, I'll just staple the bags closed. I use a Sharpie to mark each bag's contents. Perhaps you can see where I've labeled this one "Swiss chard."
Great Value quart-size freezers bags are $2.68 for 40, or about 7 cents each at my local Walmart. Using a repurposed freezer bag saves a little money, but it also reuses something that is durable enough for multiple uses. By delaying (or even avoiding) the purchase of freezer bags, less plastic waste is added to our landfills. This in one of those areas where frugality overlaps with preservation of our environment, so it's a double win!
