ZERO WASTE SHOPPING

FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

Sometimes, it's the small things that have the greatest effect and we have to start with the first step to reach the big goal. Also, it often does not take a big effort to reduce your wastes. Quite the contrary actually: once started, it can be a lot of fun to discover all the new options that can change your life (and the world) for the better...

We're often not even aware of all the plastic and waste that we accumulate on a daily basis. If you take a closer look at different parts of our everyday life, you will probably be surprised about how natural it is for us to accept plastic packaging without questioning. In this article, we would like to examine the issue of buying fruits and vegetables without any physical waste. Here are 5 options to purchase your kitchen's favorites in a pleasant and world-saving way:

1) Supermarket

The first address for your weekly groceries is probably the supermarket around the corner. That's great, because there you can usually find everything you need and they offer you a wide range of products. A few months ago, I would grab the provided plastic bags to put in my fruits and vegetables without even thinking about it. "It's okay, I will reuse them for the trash can in the bathroom". Well, let me tell you that after some time I had a stock of "trash bags" that I could have never used in a lifetime, since every week there were more coming along. Nowadays, a lot of them pretend to be biodegradable, which is already a first step in the right direction. You should still aim for another solution if possible, since biodegradable in this case usually means under certain conditions and after a long time. The best would be to make a one-time investment and acquire some reusable bags (you can find some examples here). It's a lot of fun using them and in our case they usually become a topic of conversation at the checkout.

2) Market

One of my favorite new habits is going to the market every Saturday morning. We usually go to the same stands, the vendors already know us. It's a great atmosphere and a lot of products are actually cheaper than in the supermarket! It's so much fun to chase the most beautiful mushrooms and the tastiest apples, wandering from stall to stall. Here, everything is more personal and relaxed than in a supermarket, you get in contact with the people around you and our reusable bags and boxes are again a topic of interest.

There is definitely no lack of variety on a well equipped market, but of course it's the most enjoyable when the weather is good. In the end, it's all about your personal preferences anyway. We simply want to present different options and encourage you to try them out.

3) Zero Waste Stores

We've already mentioned those in the article about how to reduce waste in your bathroom. While some of them only offer products that don't have to be kept fresh (meaning pasta, cereals, dried fruits etc. as well as everything that is personal care or cleaning products), others also stock things such as dairy products, eggs and fruits/vegetables. The big advantage here is that you can be sure of the regionality and saisonality of the products, since zero waste stores tend to support small farmers around the city. So if you're lucky and the store nearby offers fresh products as well, grab your reusable bags and containers and don't miss out on a very special atmosphere in a weather protected place!

4) Pick it up

I've always loved going to the huge strawberry fields close to my home town when I was a child. It was usually a competition of who would find the most beautiful ones. Anf of course we would nibble the same amount of berries as we would finally buy.

Today, we're lucky to live not too far away from a very special farm: The Ferme de Gally offers its custumers to simply drop by and harvest their own food. This is not only a lot of fun, but also way cheaper than buying the same things in a supermarket. You know where your food comes from, it's seasonal and after digging out the potatoes for dinner one by one, you will appreciate this meal even more! So look it up - maybe there is something similar around where you live. If not, maybe you have a friend who's struggling with harvesting the huge amount of apples in his garden each autumn. Offer your help and you will be rewarded!

5) Grow it yourself

In one of our last articles, we started explaining how you can grow your own food, even on a small space like a balcony. Depending on the size of your plot, the crop might not be enough to bring you through the week (especially if you have a partner or a family that wants to be fed as well). But it can still be a nice addition to your weekly purchases at the market or the supermarket. Believe me - a meal with one or two of your own tomatoes tastes very different!

This article clearly does not cover all the options you have to purchase your fruits and vegetables without producing any physical waste. There are for example delivery-services offered by local farmers, or supermarkets that give away fruits and vegetables that have tiny flaws or have to be eaten soon (the app Too Good To Go is the right address in this case).

The key point is that wherever you go you should always take a reusable cloth bag and / or a box with you, so that you don't have to rely on paper or even plastic bags to transport your goods. Who knows, maybe you will find some wild blackberries during your next walk through the forest. Yummy! In this case, you don't want to come unequipped, right?