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I saw this on Extreme Cheapskates. A guy made a dishscrubber out of the plastic mesh bag his fruit came in! You know when you buy those big bags of cuties? I thought this was the coolest thing I'd ever heard of. I have such a hard time throwing those things away! I always think: "there MUST be some use for this! it's colorful! it's plastic! what do I do with it??" And it works! If you have any of those non stick coated pans, it won't scratch them. But seriously, if you know of any other uses for those bags, please comment because I only need one scrubber but we eat A LOT of fruit around here!
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According to kut.org, if you see this guy in your house, don't kill it. Specifically, it says, "you're better off not grabbing the bug spray." Now they've got my attention, I'm not a fan of using chemicals in my house anyway. But then they drop the bomb, "if you see this wasp in your house, known as an ensign wasp, it likely means cockroaches are also there." Apparently, this little insect kills cockroaches, so he wouldn't be attracted to your home if they weren't there. I sincerely hate cockroaches. We will NOT peacefully co-habitate. They are so gross and disgusting and when I see one, I really feel like I'm seeing a monster. I freak! So now we have a 100% natural insecticide. Cool! And since cockroaches contribute to the overall uncleanliness of a house or structure with their disgusting habits, NOT having them around will mean your house is cleaner! But I hope I don't see one..
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That's not trash! I'm sorry, I know big box stores are evil. We do support local business as often as possible. But we go crazy at costco! I can't believe the size of the toilet paper package! We will never buy toilet tissue again! If you cut the end of the bag carefully instead of ripping into it like a pinata, it's the same size as a tall kitchen bag! I love this planet..
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Ok the word is already out on mason jars but I just wanted to reiterate that, because of the rubber seal on the lids, air cannot reach the contents of the jar very easily which means the contents stay fresh longer. You should experiment on your own, but I would be remiss if I didn't mention these pitfalls I experienced:
bell peppers did not cooperate when mixed with other veggies. in fact it is best to just jar everything separately.
Well, I guess there was only one pitfall. (I can only say positive things about this method!) Jarring salads is simply a brilliant way to streamline meal planning. In my house, if we have to take out produce and wash and chop daily, we just won't eat produce. So I have to devote one weekend afternoon or evening to washing, chopping and jarring, then we can just grab them out of the fridge daily. As I mentioned before, veggies can get a little funky when mixed and stored for days, but stored separately, they will be fine for up to a week. As for fruit, I've found that they CAN be mixed (even apple slices). I've never tried adding sliced banana, I'm assuming it might not go well. I have added canned organic pineapple, which was a failed experiment. Anyway, try this at home and let me know what works!
**Studies have shown that you will be more likely to use your leftovers if you can see what's in the container without having to open it!