we're moving...

Please visit plastic sans at my new location, http://plasticsans.com/

See you there!

surprise!

Encountered a few surprises this weekend after what I thought was a plastic-fee shopping trip...

Accidentally bought some organic, fairly traded plastic.

Discovered plastic in my favorite coffee. But, it's an easy fix – I can buy it in bulk.

Actually... I do care. I don't want silicone on my parchment paper. Guess I should have looked at the other side of the box before putting it in my cart.

Plastic is everywhere. All these products looked so natural & safe when I was shopping. A result of greenwashing? Not really, plastic is the norm for packaging and most people wouldn't bat an eye at any of these products. But, it's hard for someone trying to avoid plastic to know exactly what lurks on the inside of "paper" packaging. Trial and error.

going non-plastic on a budget

This basket of items cost under $6. I would estimate that so far I've invested about $65 on my all-glass conversion. 

I often hear from people that they couldn't possibly switch to a non-plastic kitchen – it would just be too expensive. True, replacing a whole kitchen's worth of plastic containers can quickly break the bank. Even shopping at discount shops like TJmaxx and Ross, you will pay anywhere from $5-25 per glass container. Anchor Hawking makes some great all-glass containers but their sizes are pretty limited. I have a solution for those of you who aren't opposed to buying used items. Your local thrift stores have all you need to make a complete all-glass conversion on a budget.

Now, I need to warn you that when you make the switch you will actually need many more storage containers than you use now.  Think of all those handy little ziploc baggies you currently use to stash odds and ends in the fridge. A half-lemon here, a couple crackers to take to work. Also, it wouldn't be fair not to mention that this also means more dishes on a daily basis.

Most new glass containers come with plastic lids. Mystery plastic. This is another reason why it's better to shop for glass storage at a thrift store. One thing that most thrift stores have in abundance is random unmatched glass lids and containers. What I do is buy any lids or bottoms I can find that look close to the right size for what I need. I find that although they usually don't make a perfect seal, they still work great.

So, why do I use all glass? I mean, a plastic lid that doesn't touch your food can't be that bad, right? Well, I guess I just want to be safe. There's so much we don't know about plastic - but we do know that it off-gasses and having my food in a small enclosed area with these chemicals just doesn't sit right with me. Plus, I figure if I'm going to all the trouble to do this, I may as well do it all the way.

bag it

A great trailer for a movie that examines the ubiquity of plastic in our world. For some reason the watching this almost made me cry.

Bag It Trailer from Film Sprout on Vimeo.

See it at the Do Something Reel film festival in your area.

cheese success

Had great luck today at my Whole Foods inquiring about the possibility of having cheese cut from a larger unwrapped wheel and wrapped in paper. Not so sure about the integrity of this particular paper... what is that waxy lining made from anyway? But, the woman at the cheese counter was incredibly accommodating and offered to pre-weigh a glass container and put the cheese in it for me if I brought one in. Looks like I won't have to miss out on cheese after all.

pure water!

Wow! I am so excited! I have been wanting a water purification system for a long time, but have never been able to decide which system to invest in. Reverse osmosis? Whole house? Under counter? It's so hard to find answers to which system would get rid of the most contaminants. I'm glad I waited to decide, as choosing a system made with minimal plastic was not on my list of wants previously. I recently discovered the Berkey water system which is supposed to be awesome. Ceramic filters remove every type of contaminant imaginable, including chemicals and pharmaceuticals, but leave the important minerals that your body needs. Sounds amazing. Researching this system on the internet, I became very skeptical. Apparently people are selling it as a franchise type business and the internet is so saturated with stores selling this product that it was hard to find unbiased information about it. I finally found some real customer reviews and purchased it from Giaim, which I trust.



I can't wait to start cooking with clean pure water. My one disappointment so far is the plastic spigot. It is the only plastic element sitting in the purified water. I found some interesting alternatives on the internet that may work, like this stainless steel wine tap. Think I will head over to the local brewing supply store in a few and see if they have any I can check out.

turmeric detox tonic

How can you help the body detox from BPA? Turmeric helps rejuvenate the liver cells and recharge their capability to break down toxins. Other than being excellent for liver detox, turmeric has powerful antioxidative and anti-estrogenic abilities that can help combat the excess estrogenic activity from BPA and fight cancer. Here's my recipe for a refreshing and delicious tumeric detox tonic that you can make in minutes.


Ingredients:

2" piece of fresh turmeric root
juice of one lemon
1-2 tbsp local raw unfiltered honey or natural sweetener of your choice
pure filtered water

Peel the turmeric root with a vegetable peeler

Add raw honey or other natural sweetener such as agave or maple syrup to taste.

Juice one lemon. Add pure, filtered water. I don't usually measure the water, I add just about this much.

Add to Vitamix blender and blend for 2-3 minutes to pulverize the turmeric root completely. Chill and serve. 

Now, I realize that I have a huge photo of a plastic Vitamix container in this recipe and this is one of the things I am struggling with so far in this journey. My Vitamix is an important tool in my kitchen. I make green smoothies, nut butters, nut milks and many other things in it daily. It was a big investment for our family, and sadly I don't know of any other stainless or glass options for a blender that can pulverize things like whole turmeric root. I've heard that you can sometimes find vintage stainless steel Vitamix blenders on ebay. Making a huge change like this is definitely a gradual process - I'm sure eventually I will find a non-plastic option.

If anyone is interested, I also have an alternate recipe for this that uses a Champion juicer. Since the Champion parts are also plastic I prefer the Vitamix method - it's so easy.