Thursday, July 31, 2008

The Bag Lady strikes again!

We had a temporary produce crisis in the Den: The last delivery from Planet Organics came just a couple days before the first one from Fresh Edibles, and I wrapped it all up in Evert-Fresh bags and began working my way slowly through the lot.

Slowly.

So slowly that I realized at the rate I was going, at least half of it was going to be wasted, keep-fresh-bag or no.

So I made a stock with everything that was looking a little less-than-great, and a couple things of soup to freeze, and went through consolidating everything else and made a summer squash stir fry and then, when it came time to do the washing up…

Green bags, as far as the eye could see. Hmmmmm…

You can reuse these bags at least eight times, so I usually rinse them out and prop them up to dry overnight on the counter. But people…I had an awful lot of these bags here. There wasn’t enough counterspace in the whole kitchen to dry that many bags.

Pondering this terribly vital issue (shut up), I looked out my window and saw my clothesline, empty but still stretched across the yard. Hmmmmmm…

The sun was way down on the horizon and thus the line was in the shade, and it was still plenty warm outside. They wouldn’t cook, but they’d definitely dry

So I crept out like a bandit, hung up the bags as fast as I could, and bolted back inside before anybody saw me at it.

Because, really now. You’re line drying your plastic baggies?

A line of bags

Why yes. Yes I am.

With two clothespins each, no less.

Two pins!

What? It was a little windy.

The next morning I raced out, turned the bags inside out and pinned them back on the line for another ten minutes (I set a timer – I didn’t want them hanging in full sunlight), just to make sure all the moisture was gone.

Then I grabbed them off the line, folded them up and stuck them back in the canvas bags for the next farmer’s market trip.

Sometimes, I wonder what the neighbors make of me, I truly do…

7 comments:

(formerly) no-blog-rachel said...

Oh they keep calling me to tell me all about the crrrraaazy neighbor lady who hangs her bags out to dry!



(ok...not really...)

Nicole said...

i had about 30 pairs of underwear out on my clothesline a few weeks back. i spilled dirt into my underwear drawer (i have a potted plant right above it) so i brought the entire drawer outside, and dunked all the undies into a bucket of water and pinned them on the line.
forgot the neighbors were having a party that day.
nevermind the fact that i was wearing a sports bra, a pair of orange and teal Zubaz (yeah, im a 90s kid) and a pink bandana.

Kaviare said...

Very retro - I hear housewives in the 50's used to do just that, and with much flimsier plastic.

Retro is in now, don't your neighbours know?

JoHanna said...

I think you are awesome for the recycling effort. A BIG high five to you girlfriend. Who gives a crap what the neighbors think? I bet they drive a Hummer.

Hollis said...

I wish I were your neighbor. Sigh.

Amy Lane said...

Makes me long for a clothesline of my own, just to freak out the neighbors! (password riqzeye)

Moorecat said...

Not so much for hanging out the bags to dry.

But taking photos of them?

Yup.

There's your benchmark of craziness right there.