Kitchen hacks for your Plastic-Free July

We love Plastic-Free July! What better way to celebrate than finding creative ways to throw away less food and eliminating single-use items from the kitchen. Here are five plastic-free kitchen hacks to get you started!

Plastic-Free Kitchen Hack #1: Blanch and freeze hardy greens

Delicate lettuces must be eaten fresh, but other hardy greens like kale, chard, arugula and spinach can be blanched and frozen. Stock up on those local veggies while they’re in season and freeze some for use throughout the winter.

  • Wash thoroughly
  • Boil greens in a pot for 60 seconds
  • Transfer greens to a bowl of ice water (this stops the cooking process)
  • Grab a handful of greens and squeeze as much water as you can out using your hand or a fine-mesh colander
  • Freeze these clumps of greens on a baking sheet in the freezer for 30 minutes
  • When frozen, transfer to a reusable container of your choice.

Hack #2: Regrow leeks and green onions in water

Eat the green part of your leeks and green onions, toss in the white root end in a jar of water, wait a week and you’ll get a new vegetable.

Kitchen Hack #3 – Store herbs properly & Plastic-Free

Have you ever cursed when your beautiful bunch of herbs suddenly get moudly, dry up or turn yellow? You probably stored them incorrectly.

For soft herbs (like cilantro, dill, mint, and basil), stand upright in a glass of water. Keep in the fridge (except basil – it doesn’t like temperature swings). Change water daily for best results.

For hard herbs (like rosemary, oregano, and thyme), place in a damp towel in a bag. Store in the high-humidity drawer of the fridge. 

Hack #4: Get into quick breads

Everyone, everywhere is on the sourdough bandwagon right now, but quick breads are less time and effort. And will save you wasting plastic packaging from the store. Calgary’s Julie van Rosendaal has a soda bread recipe that bakes up in one hour using pantry staples (recipe here Dinner With Julie)

Don’t stop with just bread. This plastic-free kitchen hack can include crackers, pizza crusts, cookies, and more. Time to get baking!

Hack #5: Use wine markers to label leftovers

You know those markers you use to label wine glasses at a party? They are perfect for labeling your leftovers with the name of the dish and the date, so you never lose track of the food in your fridge and freezer. Correctly labeling, no matter how you do it, is one of the most important plastic-free kitchen hacks to adopt.

Are you looking for more fun ways to reduce your waste in the kitchen? Be sure to check out our blog on the best tools for a waste free kitchen.