Spoken

Candyce Jack

See what other people are saying about products from Plum Creek Mercantile. Customers: I have been using your little bags this week and I can’t tell you how much I LOVE THEM!!! I feel so good about the fact that I’m not reaching for a ziplock. With your help, I’ve already single-handedly saved the planet :) The kids love the little baggie s too! They instantly grabbed the extras and stuffed toys in them to carry around the house. Thank you, thank you! The bags are totally perfect, well crafted and I’m actually excited to pack lunches tomorrow…imagine that! Thanks so much. Great item. Well made. Already putting the bags to good use! Thanks for helping us be green! Wonderful product! We have decreased our plastic baggies use by 3/4! Love them, such a perfect solution to create less waste! Awesome quality and fast arrival. I love these bags. I am so pleased NOT to be sending plastic bags into school with my kids. THANKS! Reviews: I’ll admit it. I currently have a box of little plastic baggies in my cupboard. But, in my ongoing search to find any way possible to cut back my family’s waste, no matter how much of a baby step, I am going to do away with using plastic baggies to tote snacks, store halves of avocados, you name it… While plastic bags used for toting groceries typically get all the limelight when it comes to doing away with one-time use bags that pile up in landfills and oceans, I think little plastic baggies are all lurking in the shadows of our cupboards high-fiving each other that they haven’t been called to task and made obsolete with a reusable counterpart. Enter Plum Creek Mercantile’s reusable snack bags. Adults and kids alike may conveniently pack sandwiches and snacks in the Organic Cream bags, made of 100% organic cotton brushed twill. These bags will handily contain most food items, (with the exception of soups, liquids, and soft fruits such as raspberries.) They are machine washable, or may even be rinsed out while washing the evening dishes, and hung to dry for use the next day. Kids have a variety of design options to choose from for their school lunches, including: sorbet swirl, jumping frogs, robot, mint stripes and denim. *Moms of toddlers, since you know the drill when it comes to always having a selection of snacks on hand (we’re like walking buffet tables), these reusable bags are the perfect non-toxic, eco-friendly containers for cookies, crackers, carrot sticks, etc. Let’s all band together and banish the plastic baggies! By: <a href="http://plumcreekmercantile.myshopify.com/admin/pages/724002">Petite Planet</a> One thing all kids have in common is a deep love of snacks. They’ll snack in the car, on the couch, in the yard… I think they’d snack in their sleep if we let them. All this munching typically requires a ton of plastic snack baggies or quite a few bulky containers. Ditch the plastic and the disposables for true snack-time ease with a flair; and choose a better, eco-friendly choice, such as the reusable cloth snack bags from Plum Creek Mercantile. 100% USDA certified organic, are plastic bags bad, bulky food containers, cotton bags, eco-friendly food storage, go green and save money, green food storage, how to store kid snacks, kid lunch sacks, kids lunches, organic cotton, plastic bags bad, plastic snack bags, plastic waste, PVC free food containers, recycled foil, reusable bags, reusable snack bags, safely store food, save money, snack bag options, snack bags Benefits of reusable snack baggies: <ul> <li>Earth-friendly: Much better for the environment than plastic bags which are toxic to make, not safe to use, and never, ever biodegrade. Cloth will biodegrade, and it’s a safe material for storing snacks.</li> <li>Cost effective: Reusable cloth bags last and last vs. plastic baggies which can only be reused a few times. You can buy recycled foil, or stainless steel or PVC-free food containers, but they’re more expensive over time than cloth bags.</li> <li>Easy: At first it might sound harder to deal with cloth, but honestly it’s not. I’ve had reusable grocery, produce, and snack baggies forever, and I just toss them into the washing machine with whatever else I’ve got washing. Cloth also has the added benefit of being lightweight. While food containers are eco-friendly, they’re not easy to pop into a little purse or lunch sack.</li> <li>They build eco-kids: When kids are introduced to non-disposables from a young age, items they can relate to such as ice pop molds, cloth napkins, and reusable bags, you’re setting them up for a non-disposable life. It’s hard to discuss hard core recycling with kids, but discussing why cloth snack bags are so much better than plastic is a snap. Small steps do build green children.</li> </ul> 100% USDA certified organic, are plastic bags bad, bulky food containers, cotton bags, eco-friendly food storage, go green and save money, green food storage, how to store kid snacks, kid lunch sacks, kids lunches, organic cotton, plastic bags bad, plastic snack bags, plastic waste, PVC free food containers, recycled foil, reusable bags, reusable snack bags, safely store food, save money, snack bag options, snack bags About Plum Creek reusable snack bags: <ul> <li>Each set includes 2 large bags, 2 medium bags and 1 small bag. Personally, I’d recommend purchasing a few sets, because once you start using them, you won’t be able to live without them.</li> <li>Bags are fabric inside and out – no plastic lining.</li> <li>Come in various materials; 100% cotton, 100% cotton denim, or 100% organic cotton brushed twill.</li> <li>Come in many fun, pretty, and basic colors and designs. Enough options to suit any taste.</li> <li>Can be used for almost any food item, even, “A gooey PB&J or turkey sandwich.” The only off limit foods are liquids and super soft fruits that could stain (berries).</li> <li>Each bag stays shut with a secure hook and loop closure that is still easy enough for for little kids to open.</li> <li>Can be machine washed and dried or even washed by hand and hung to dry.</li> </ul> What are you using right now to store kid snacks? Would you give reusable bags a try? By: <a href="http://www.inhabitots.com/2009/02/07/reusable-snack-bags-for-your-little-snack-monster/">Inhabitots</a> I recently wrote a post about the benefits of reusable cloth snack bags. I’ve used various cloth snack bags, but fell for the look of the reusable cloth snack bags from Plum Creek Mercantile, so in that snack bag post I highlighted them. The owner of the company saw the piece and liked it so she sent me some bags to try out. Product: Plum Creek Mercantile reusable cloth snack bags. I got two sets of snack bags to try (different fabrics, same sizes). My fabrics (seen above) are Sorbet Twirl and Robot. Eco facts: <ul> <li>Bags are available in organic cotton.</li> <li>The benefits of reusable cloth bags for snack and bulk food items are huge. See an entire list of benefits by clicking here.</li> <li>Long life span – means less new resources used by you, thus a smaller footprint!</li> </ul> Storage Bags Product pros: <ul> <li>Totally cute designs available – I LOVE the bags I was sent. The sorbet design is super pretty and my son Cedar loved the robot fabric. I think the creamy organic design is pretty too and love that there are enough fabric choices to please any household.</li> <li>Obviously I like that I don’t need to use toss away products like foil or plastic wrap.</li> <li>Much lighter than containers. I tend to buy aluminum or other heavy food storage containers because they’re more sustainable than plastic BUT they’re heavy to cart around and take up tons o’ space in my bag or Cedar’s lunch box. These bags are lightweight and take up very little space.</li> <li>Arrived to my house in very tiny packaging! Not excessive – which is great (very sustainable).</li> <li>Work very well. These snack bags are heavy weight fabric and have super strong Velcro closures. Not once have they opened up while we’re on the go.</li> <li>Good sizes. My snack bags came with a sandwich size that fits most bread types, a medium size that works great for crackers or trail mix, and a tiny bag that I like for treats – like a couple of cookies or some fruit snacks.</li> <li>Wash well for the most part (see below in cons). I’ve washed these excessively in the washer so I could write this review, and they’re in great shape and the Velcro is holding strong. Plus, my son got blackberry jam all over one, and it washed out. No stains.</li> <li>Food stays fresh for the day. We packed them with sandwiches, apple slices, carrots, crackers, cookies, jelly beans, and more, and it all stayed nice and fresh all day.</li> <li>Seem like they’ll last forever. So far these seem really well made, strong, and hardy. I’m betting they’ll last for years.</li> <li>Because of all of the above, these bags will save you money. You won’t need to buy foil or plastic wrap, and you won’t need to buy new bag sets for a good long while.</li> </ul> Reusable Snack Bags- Mint Stripe and Snack Bags- Organic Cream Product cons: Above I noted that they wash well for the most part – and they do, but the downside is that the Velcro sticks to the rest of your laundry. The way I found around this is that I put the bags into a mesh laundry bag before washing. This is not a huge con, but something to be aware of. Kids must work with you – I’m not sure this is a huge con, more of a time issue, but you need to get the kids on board. Like with any reusable container, kids need prompts so they won’t try to toss or recycle the container. My son has tried to recycle ice pop molds, tin containers, and other cloth bags before so I really talked about this with him. I didn’t want the bags to go missing. Now, all that said, I think kids should be taught about reusable items and Cedar’s done well with these; so far we haven’t lost one. Not long term storage. Again, this isn’t a huge con, just an FYI. If you put crackers in one of the bags, it’s a day or two deal. Long term, the crackers are going to go stale. For normal purposes, food stays fresh. Overall happy tree score: Five out of five happy trees! I really liked these bags. They’re stronger than most I’ve tried so food doesn’t get smashed as easily. The designs are great and the eco-benefits are stupendous and they save you money over time because you don’t need toss away food storage. I highly recommend these bags for tree hugging families. By: <a href="http://www.treehuggingfamily.com/green-product-review-plum-creek-mercantile-reusable-cloth-snack-bags/">Treehuggingfamily</a> Hey hip mamas, are you tired of plastic sandwich bags? I just discovered these great eco-friendly fabric snack bag options for your kids! Plum Creek Mercantile offers these funky and functional bags to store bulk foods or snack packs! The bulk food bags have a window that you can write on with a dry erase pen and all of the bags are machine washable. They all have velcro closures and many of them are made with organic cotton. I love the jumping frogs and robot printed bags! By: <a href="http">Lotushaus</a>: I’m like a kid in a candy store when perusing the bulk food bins at my local natural foods store. But I always cringe when I scoop my beans, rice or nuts into a plastic or paper bag — so NOT green… Fortunately, I have found the perfect way to buy in bulk without having to use a disposable bag – thanks to the Etsy shop Plum Creek Mercantile. Their 100% cotton bulk food bags are made with the cutest fabrics and they are all hand sewn. The genius part is that they are sized to fit a gallon jar or a quart jar, which means that when you get home, you will have the perfect quantity for your storage container. No more guessing and no more waste! The bags even come with a grease pen so you can mark the bin number on the bag. By: <a href="http://greenmomfinds.com/?s=plum+creek+mercantile">Green Mom Finds</a> I hate plastic bags! I have eliminated plastic bags from my shopping sprees, but I still find myself using them to pack school lunches from time to time or when I forget to bring containers for my bulk food…that is, until I discovered Plum Creek Mercantile on Etsy. Plum Creek Mercantile’s hand sewn, 100% cotton twill bulk food bags and feed sacks are the perfect environmental choice for packaging food from home. Bulk Food Bags I try to reuse plastic bulk food bags, but I am constantly annoyed at guessing how much to fill them at the store to fit in my quart and gallon jars at home (which I usually forget to take with me to the store). Plum Creek Mercantile’s bulk food bags are perfect for measuring: These versatile bags are ideally suited for the bulk bins at your local grocer. You no longer will have leftover beans or grains when you return home to fill your jars. These bags are sized to fit a gallon jar or a quart jar: just fill to the top and you know your jar will be full. The clear window allows easy identification of the product inside and the white tab allows the bin number to be written with a grease pen or a dry erase marker and removed for continued use. Snack Bags I finally bought a plastic bag drying rack, but I would rather do without those bags altogether in my daughter’s lunch. We always run out of Tupperware, besides I don’t quite trust the plastic, and I don’t feel safe sending her with our glass containers. Plum Creek Mercantile’s Feed Sacks are perfect for snacks and lunches. The bags have a hook and loop closure (Velcro), which is perfect for little hands and keeps food securely inside the cotton bag. All of Plum Creek Mercantile’s hand sewn goods are machine washable. These cotton bags are attractive and simple, and best of all, they help you eliminate the dreaded plastic bag from your world. I am so pleased to have discovered them! By: <a href="http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/09/18/eco-friendly-lunches-plum-creek-mercantiles-feed-sacks-and-bulk-food-bags/">Eco Child’s Play</a> Plum Creek Mercantileis on to something . . . I am someone who not only packs my own lunch for work everyday, but also still makes lunch (most days) for my remaining teenage daughter who is now a sophomore in high school. I have always regretted the many plastic bags I have used to get my three daughters through school. While I have tried various reusable containers, honestly . . . most of them disappeared, didn’t get into the dish washing cycle fast enough, or were just plain uncool and the kids wouldn’t use them. I’ve tried washing plastic baggies, but the sandwich ones just don’t wash well. ick. I’ve recently purchased some plastic baggies made from recycled plastic and bioplastic. better. But, I’m always looking for new items to contain and carry nutritious food for myself and my not-so-wee ones (anymore). I’m sure there are other bags like these out there, but honestly, I haven’t run into them yet. The Feed Bags, for lunches, etc. are great for dry goods and sandwiches. They are 100% cotton and are washable. phew. They have a good velcro-style opening, and they seem strong enough to hold the food, but easy enough for little hands to open. Bulk Food Bags Plum Creek Mercantile’s answer to paper or plastic bags to cart bulk foods from your favorite health food store, grocery store or food coop is well thought out. Clearly the designer of this Bulk Food Bag is someone who has experience buying grains, beans, nuts and other dry goods in bulk and has wrestled with guessing the right amount, only to get home and have just a cup or so extra. ugh. These wonderful 100% cotton (some are organic cotton!) are sized to hold the proper amount for a gallon jar or quart jar. The clear window helps you see what you’ve got and the white ‘label’ area is where you can put the bin #, price or whatever is necessary for pricing at your store. By: <a href="http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/08/27/green-divas-guide-to-delicious-living-sustainable-alternative-for-plastic-lunch-baggies/">Eat. Drink. Better.</a> Yes, fabric baggies to use instead of those plastic baggies in your lunch box. It is such a simple and ingenious idea. One of those things that you smack yourself on the head and think, “why didn’t I think of that!?” They are so well made and sized just perfectly for a sandwich (the biggest size) or pretzels or anything else. Abby loves them. She has no problem opening the velcro tops, but they are strong enough that her snacks don’t fall all over the place. The smallest bags are about the size of the smallest ziploc-type bags that are “snack” size. They are machine washable too. Woot! Oh, but that’s not all. No, Candyce has solved the plastic baggie problem that comes with buying food in bulk. You can use her bulk food bags to get your rice, beans, and anything else without using a plastic baggie. And, they are SUPER cute. These are the ones I have and they are made out of organic cotton. But there are lots of other colors and patterns for the fabric. I used my bulk bin bags for the first time while at a co-op in Seattle and the checker about pee-ed herself from how cool she thought they were. You can see what’s inside the bag. They come with a grease pencil so you can write the number on the front. AND, she’s sized them just right so when you get home, the contents of the bag will fit perfectly in a quart (smaller bag) or gallon (bigger bag) sized jar. Genius, I say. Plum Creek Mercantile also has new fabric gift wrap coming out. I am freaking out about how awesome this stuff looks. It’s fabric, reversible and has the ribbons sewn right in for you. I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that! By: <a href="http://rhubarbsky.wordpress.com/?s=bulk+food+bags">Rhubarb Sky</a>

2008-11-28T22:00:19-08:00

spoken 724002

2008-11-28T22:00:19-08:00

191762

Spoken 2009-05-15T11:11:22-07:00 See what other people are saying about products from Plum Creek Mercantile. *Customers:* I have been using your little bags this week and I can't tell you how much I LOVE THEM!!! I feel so good about the fact that I'm not reaching for a ziplock. With your help, I've already single-handedly saved the planet :) The kids love the little baggie s too! They instantly grabbed the extras and stuffed toys in them to carry around the house. Thank you, thank you! The bags are totally perfect, well crafted and I'm actually excited to pack lunches tomorrow...imagine that! Thanks so much. Great item. Well made. Already putting the bags to good use! Thanks for helping us be green! Wonderful product! We have decreased our plastic baggies use by 3/4! Love them, such a perfect solution to create less waste! Awesome quality and fast arrival. I love these bags. I am so pleased NOT to be sending plastic bags into school with my kids. THANKS! *Reviews:* I'll admit it. I currently have a box of little plastic baggies in my cupboard. But, in my ongoing search to find any way possible to cut back my family's waste, no matter how much of a *baby step,* I am going to do away with using plastic baggies to tote snacks, store halves of avocados, you name it... While plastic bags used for toting groceries typically get all the limelight when it comes to doing away with one-time use bags that pile up in landfills and oceans, I think little plastic baggies are all lurking in the shadows of our cupboards high-fiving each other that they haven't been called to task and made obsolete with a reusable counterpart. Enter Plum Creek Mercantile's reusable snack bags. Adults and kids alike may conveniently pack sandwiches and snacks in the Organic Cream bags, made of 100% organic cotton brushed twill. These bags will handily contain most food items, (with the exception of soups, liquids, and soft fruits such as raspberries.) They are machine washable, or may even be rinsed out while washing the evening dishes, and hung to dry for use the next day. Kids have a variety of design options to choose from for their school lunches, including: sorbet swirl, jumping frogs, robot, mint stripes and denim. *Moms of toddlers, since you know the drill when it comes to always having a selection of snacks on hand (we're like walking buffet tables), these reusable bags are the perfect non-toxic, eco-friendly containers for cookies, crackers, carrot sticks, etc. Let's all band together and banish the plastic baggies! By: "Petite Planet":http://plumcreekmercantile.myshopify.com/admin/pages/724002 One thing all kids have in common is a deep love of snacks. They’ll snack in the car, on the couch, in the yard… I think they’d snack in their sleep if we let them. All this munching typically requires a ton of plastic snack baggies or quite a few bulky containers. Ditch the plastic and the disposables for true snack-time ease with a flair; and choose a better, eco-friendly choice, such as the reusable cloth snack bags from Plum Creek Mercantile. 100% USDA certified organic, are plastic bags bad, bulky food containers, cotton bags, eco-friendly food storage, go green and save money, green food storage, how to store kid snacks, kid lunch sacks, kids lunches, organic cotton, plastic bags bad, plastic snack bags, plastic waste, PVC free food containers, recycled foil, reusable bags, reusable snack bags, safely store food, save money, snack bag options, snack bags Benefits of reusable snack baggies: * Earth-friendly: Much better for the environment than plastic bags which are toxic to make, not safe to use, and never, ever biodegrade. Cloth will biodegrade, and it’s a safe material for storing snacks. * Cost effective: Reusable cloth bags last and last vs. plastic baggies which can only be reused a few times. You can buy recycled foil, or stainless steel or PVC-free food containers, but they’re more expensive over time than cloth bags. * Easy: At first it might sound harder to deal with cloth, but honestly it’s not. I’ve had reusable grocery, produce, and snack baggies forever, and I just toss them into the washing machine with whatever else I’ve got washing. Cloth also has the added benefit of being lightweight. While food containers are eco-friendly, they’re not easy to pop into a little purse or lunch sack. * They build eco-kids: When kids are introduced to non-disposables from a young age, items they can relate to such as ice pop molds, cloth napkins, and reusable bags, you’re setting them up for a non-disposable life. It’s hard to discuss hard core recycling with kids, but discussing why cloth snack bags are so much better than plastic is a snap. Small steps do build green children. 100% USDA certified organic, are plastic bags bad, bulky food containers, cotton bags, eco-friendly food storage, go green and save money, green food storage, how to store kid snacks, kid lunch sacks, kids lunches, organic cotton, plastic bags bad, plastic snack bags, plastic waste, PVC free food containers, recycled foil, reusable bags, reusable snack bags, safely store food, save money, snack bag options, snack bags About Plum Creek reusable snack bags: * Each set includes 2 large bags, 2 medium bags and 1 small bag. Personally, I’d recommend purchasing a few sets, because once you start using them, you won’t be able to live without them. * Bags are fabric inside and out - no plastic lining. * Come in various materials; 100% cotton, 100% cotton denim, or 100% organic cotton brushed twill. * Come in many fun, pretty, and basic colors and designs. Enough options to suit any taste. * Can be used for almost any food item, even, “A gooey PB&J or turkey sandwich.” The only off limit foods are liquids and super soft fruits that could stain (berries). * Each bag stays shut with a secure hook and loop closure that is still easy enough for for little kids to open. * Can be machine washed and dried or even washed by hand and hung to dry. What are you using right now to store kid snacks? Would you give reusable bags a try? By: "Inhabitots":http://www.inhabitots.com/2009/02/07/reusable-snack-bags-for-your-little-snack-monster/ I recently wrote a post about the benefits of reusable cloth snack bags. I’ve used various cloth snack bags, but fell for the look of the reusable cloth snack bags from Plum Creek Mercantile, so in that snack bag post I highlighted them. The owner of the company saw the piece and liked it so she sent me some bags to try out. Product: Plum Creek Mercantile reusable cloth snack bags. I got two sets of snack bags to try (different fabrics, same sizes). My fabrics (seen above) are Sorbet Twirl and Robot. Eco facts: * Bags are available in organic cotton. * The benefits of reusable cloth bags for snack and bulk food items are huge. See an entire list of benefits by clicking here. * Long life span - means less new resources used by you, thus a smaller footprint! Storage Bags Product pros: * Totally cute designs available - I LOVE the bags I was sent. The sorbet design is super pretty and my son Cedar loved the robot fabric. I think the creamy organic design is pretty too and love that there are enough fabric choices to please any household. * Obviously I like that I don’t need to use toss away products like foil or plastic wrap. * Much lighter than containers. I tend to buy aluminum or other heavy food storage containers because they’re more sustainable than plastic BUT they’re heavy to cart around and take up tons o’ space in my bag or Cedar’s lunch box. These bags are lightweight and take up very little space. * Arrived to my house in very tiny packaging! Not excessive - which is great (very sustainable). * Work very well. These snack bags are heavy weight fabric and have super strong Velcro closures. Not once have they opened up while we’re on the go. * Good sizes. My snack bags came with a sandwich size that fits most bread types, a medium size that works great for crackers or trail mix, and a tiny bag that I like for treats - like a couple of cookies or some fruit snacks. * Wash well for the most part (see below in cons). I’ve washed these excessively in the washer so I could write this review, and they’re in great shape and the Velcro is holding strong. Plus, my son got blackberry jam all over one, and it washed out. No stains. * Food stays fresh for the day. We packed them with sandwiches, apple slices, carrots, crackers, cookies, jelly beans, and more, and it all stayed nice and fresh all day. * Seem like they’ll last forever. So far these seem really well made, strong, and hardy. I’m betting they’ll last for years. * Because of all of the above, these bags will save you money. You won’t need to buy foil or plastic wrap, and you won’t need to buy new bag sets for a good long while. Reusable Snack Bags- Mint Stripe and Snack Bags- Organic Cream Product cons: Above I noted that they wash well for the most part - and they do, but the downside is that the Velcro sticks to the rest of your laundry. The way I found around this is that I put the bags into a mesh laundry bag before washing. This is not a huge con, but something to be aware of. Kids must work with you - I’m not sure this is a huge con, more of a time issue, but you need to get the kids on board. Like with any reusable container, kids need prompts so they won’t try to toss or recycle the container. My son has tried to recycle ice pop molds, tin containers, and other cloth bags before so I really talked about this with him. I didn’t want the bags to go missing. Now, all that said, I think kids should be taught about reusable items and Cedar’s done well with these; so far we haven’t lost one. Not long term storage. Again, this isn’t a huge con, just an FYI. If you put crackers in one of the bags, it’s a day or two deal. Long term, the crackers are going to go stale. For normal purposes, food stays fresh. Overall happy tree score: Five out of five happy trees! I really liked these bags. They’re stronger than most I’ve tried so food doesn’t get smashed as easily. The designs are great and the eco-benefits are stupendous and they save you money over time because you don’t need toss away food storage. I highly recommend these bags for tree hugging families. By: "Treehuggingfamily":http://www.treehuggingfamily.com/green-product-review-plum-creek-mercantile-reusable-cloth-snack-bags/ Hey hip mamas, are you tired of plastic sandwich bags? I just discovered these great eco-friendly fabric snack bag options for your kids! Plum Creek Mercantile offers these funky and functional bags to store bulk foods or snack packs! The bulk food bags have a window that you can write on with a dry erase pen and all of the bags are machine washable. They all have velcro closures and many of them are made with organic cotton. I love the jumping frogs and robot printed bags! By: "Lotushaus":http: I’m like a kid in a candy store when perusing the bulk food bins at my local natural foods store. But I always cringe when I scoop my beans, rice or nuts into a plastic or paper bag — so NOT green… Fortunately, I have found the perfect way to buy in bulk without having to use a disposable bag - thanks to the Etsy shop Plum Creek Mercantile. Their 100% cotton bulk food bags are made with the cutest fabrics and they are all hand sewn. The genius part is that they are sized to fit a gallon jar or a quart jar, which means that when you get home, you will have the perfect quantity for your storage container. No more guessing and no more waste! The bags even come with a grease pen so you can mark the bin number on the bag. By: "Green Mom Finds":http://greenmomfinds.com/?s=plum+creek+mercantile I hate plastic bags! I have eliminated plastic bags from my shopping sprees, but I still find myself using them to pack school lunches from time to time or when I forget to bring containers for my bulk food…that is, until I discovered Plum Creek Mercantile on Etsy. Plum Creek Mercantile’s hand sewn, 100% cotton twill bulk food bags and feed sacks are the perfect environmental choice for packaging food from home. Bulk Food Bags I try to reuse plastic bulk food bags, but I am constantly annoyed at guessing how much to fill them at the store to fit in my quart and gallon jars at home (which I usually forget to take with me to the store). Plum Creek Mercantile’s bulk food bags are perfect for measuring: These versatile bags are ideally suited for the bulk bins at your local grocer. You no longer will have leftover beans or grains when you return home to fill your jars. These bags are sized to fit a gallon jar or a quart jar: just fill to the top and you know your jar will be full. The clear window allows easy identification of the product inside and the white tab allows the bin number to be written with a grease pen or a dry erase marker and removed for continued use. Snack Bags I finally bought a plastic bag drying rack, but I would rather do without those bags altogether in my daughter’s lunch. We always run out of Tupperware, besides I don’t quite trust the plastic, and I don’t feel safe sending her with our glass containers. Plum Creek Mercantile’s Feed Sacks are perfect for snacks and lunches. The bags have a hook and loop closure (Velcro), which is perfect for little hands and keeps food securely inside the cotton bag. All of Plum Creek Mercantile’s hand sewn goods are machine washable. These cotton bags are attractive and simple, and best of all, they help you eliminate the dreaded plastic bag from your world. I am so pleased to have discovered them! By: "Eco Child's Play":http://ecochildsplay.com/2008/09/18/eco-friendly-lunches-plum-creek-mercantiles-feed-sacks-and-bulk-food-bags/ Plum Creek Mercantileis on to something . . . I am someone who not only packs my own lunch for work everyday, but also still makes lunch (most days) for my remaining teenage daughter who is now a sophomore in high school. I have always regretted the many plastic bags I have used to get my three daughters through school. While I have tried various reusable containers, honestly . . . most of them disappeared, didn’t get into the dish washing cycle fast enough, or were just plain uncool and the kids wouldn’t use them. I’ve tried washing plastic baggies, but the sandwich ones just don’t wash well. ick. I’ve recently purchased some plastic baggies made from recycled plastic and bioplastic. better. But, I’m always looking for new items to contain and carry nutritious food for myself and my not-so-wee ones (anymore). I’m sure there are other bags like these out there, but honestly, I haven’t run into them yet. The Feed Bags, for lunches, etc. are great for dry goods and sandwiches. They are 100% cotton and are washable. phew. They have a good velcro-style opening, and they seem strong enough to hold the food, but easy enough for little hands to open. Bulk Food Bags Plum Creek Mercantile’s answer to paper or plastic bags to cart bulk foods from your favorite health food store, grocery store or food coop is well thought out. Clearly the designer of this Bulk Food Bag is someone who has experience buying grains, beans, nuts and other dry goods in bulk and has wrestled with guessing the right amount, only to get home and have just a cup or so extra. ugh. These wonderful 100% cotton (some are organic cotton!) are sized to hold the proper amount for a gallon jar or quart jar. The clear window helps you see what you’ve got and the white ‘label’ area is where you can put the bin #, price or whatever is necessary for pricing at your store. By: "Eat. Drink. Better.":http://eatdrinkbetter.com/2008/08/27/green-divas-guide-to-delicious-living-sustainable-alternative-for-plastic-lunch-baggies/ Yes, fabric baggies to use instead of those plastic baggies in your lunch box. It is such a simple and ingenious idea. One of those things that you smack yourself on the head and think, “why didn’t I think of that!?” They are so well made and sized just perfectly for a sandwich (the biggest size) or pretzels or anything else. Abby loves them. She has no problem opening the velcro tops, but they are strong enough that her snacks don’t fall all over the place. The smallest bags are about the size of the smallest ziploc-type bags that are “snack” size. They are machine washable too. Woot! Oh, but that’s not all. No, Candyce has solved the plastic baggie problem that comes with buying food in bulk. You can use her bulk food bags to get your rice, beans, and anything else without using a plastic baggie. And, they are SUPER cute. These are the ones I have and they are made out of organic cotton. But there are lots of other colors and patterns for the fabric. I used my bulk bin bags for the first time while at a co-op in Seattle and the checker about pee-ed herself from how cool she thought they were. You can see what’s inside the bag. They come with a grease pencil so you can write the number on the front. AND, she’s sized them just right so when you get home, the contents of the bag will fit perfectly in a quart (smaller bag) or gallon (bigger bag) sized jar. Genius, I say. Plum Creek Mercantile also has new fabric gift wrap coming out. I am freaking out about how awesome this stuff looks. It’s fabric, reversible and has the ribbons sewn right in for you. I can’t wait to get my hands on some of that! By: "Rhubarb Sky":http://rhubarbsky.wordpress.com/?s=bulk+food+bags