Plastic bags . .what do you do?

[Farmer Kitty]

What really torks me is I cannot find a brand of freezer bags that do not leak. They all somehow lose their anti-leak powers in the freezer, and I have to thaw out food in a pan, otherwise meat juice goes everywhere. All we freeze is meat, BTW.

I like my vacuum sealer, I've never had a problem with them leaking and they keep so much better.

 

[Dace]

I don't reuse plastic zipper bags. I have a fear of cross contamination. So I use freezer box systems. For recycling grocery, bread, or other plastic bags... I cut them into yarn and knit or crochet them into rugs or market bags. I have made purses, and my current project is to make crochet basket style pots for my garden. Some will hold herbs some will perhaps be hung for some up side down tomatoes. I have also heat fused them together using an old iron and made a lunch sack for myself. Though I do not recomend that to anyone for the fumes stink and can't possibly be good for you or the enviornment.

I would really love to know more about making market bags out of my stash of plastic bags! Can you give me some info??

 

[keljonma]

We hand wash the plastic bags and then hang them inside out on the laundry line to dry. They dry pretty quickly, even indoors. We use lidded glass containers and some old tupperware type plastic containers more than the bags.

After they have been used a number of times, they get grungie looking or worn, I use them to hold items to go out to the compost bin or for veggie scraps for the soup pot, or as treats for the chickens.

The bags are not reused after they get too worn or too grungie.

 

[Cassandra]

Seems like you could hot glue a few clothes pins or chip clips to the inside of a cabinet door and hang various sizes of them together in there.

Cassandra

 

[annmarie]

A few months ago I was in a wood products shop and they had a plastic bag dryer and I immediatly thought of you all! I totally forgot about it until I read this thread so I did a google seach and I found this site showing how to make your own plastic bag (or bottle) dryer...

http://www.curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/4413-Make-a-DIY-Plastic-Bag-Dryer-

 

[Henrietta23]

What really torks me is I cannot find a brand of freezer bags that do not leak. They all somehow lose their anti-leak powers in the freezer, and I have to thaw out food in a pan, otherwise meat juice goes everywhere. All we freeze is meat, BTW.

I like my vacuum sealer, I've never had a problem with them leaking and they keep so much better.

I have one of those too. I'm never sure what is the best way to store liquids in it though. Do I freeze things like soup in a zip top bag or a rigid container, then vacuum seal it?

 

[Henrietta23]

A few months ago I was in a wood products shop and they had a plastic bag dryer and I immediatly thought of you all! I totally forgot about it until I read this thread so I did a google seach and I found this site showing how to make your own plastic bag (or bottle) dryer...

http://www.curbly.com/Chrisjob/posts/4413-Make-a-DIY-Plastic-Bag-Dryer-

Wish I could give up the counter space for it!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

What really torks me is I cannot find a brand of freezer bags that do not leak. They all somehow lose their anti-leak powers in the freezer, and I have to thaw out food in a pan, otherwise meat juice goes everywhere. All we freeze is meat, BTW.

I like my vacuum sealer, I've never had a problem with them leaking and they keep so much better.

I have one of those too. I'm never sure what is the best way to store liquids in it though. Do I freeze things like soup in a zip top bag or a rigid container, then vacuum seal it?

I've never done liquids but, I do things like strawberries that will mash and make liquid. I put them in and fold the end over and clip shut with a cloths pin. Then freeze. Once frozen I seal. So with liquids I would imagine you could put it in the bag and set the bag inside a container to hold it upright, then fold over and clip and freeze. Once frozen seal.

 

[Henrietta23]

I like my vacuum sealer, I've never had a problem with them leaking and they keep so much better.

I have one of those too. I'm never sure what is the best way to store liquids in it though. Do I freeze things like soup in a zip top bag or a rigid container, then vacuum seal it?

I've never done liquids but, I do things like strawberries that will mash and make liquid. I put them in and fold the end over and clip shut with a cloths pin. Then freeze. Once frozen I seal. So with liquids I would imagine you could put it in the bag and set the bag inside a container to hold it upright, then fold over and clip and freeze. Once frozen seal.

That's brilliant! That's exactly what I need to do. Thank you thank you thank you!!

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I have one of those too. I'm never sure what is the best way to store liquids in it though. Do I freeze things like soup in a zip top bag or a rigid container, then vacuum seal it?

I've never done liquids but, I do things like strawberries that will mash and make liquid. I put them in and fold the end over and clip shut with a cloths pin. Then freeze. Once frozen I seal. So with liquids I would imagine you could put it in the bag and set the bag inside a container to hold it upright, then fold over and clip and freeze. Once frozen seal.

That's brilliant! That's exactly what I need to do. Thank you thank you thank you!!

You're welcome.