The perfect bags for salad greens/microgreens

Dear lovely growies,

As the adventure continues into the madness of creating a small organic farm surrounded by corn magnates, I'm seeking the perfect salad green bag. In my mind, it would have HOLES punched to let it breathe. And it would be very light, yet clear. And biodegradable.

Anyone went down this road before and I could hump on the shortcut?
Danke!
Charles
PS: Check out AGNIHOTRA. Amazing stuff.

My mother keeps greens crisp and fresh for weeks by wrapping them single layer in paper immediately after washing them. We think the paper absorbs enough water to keep the ideal level of humidity next to the leaves.

I wonder if you could get a similar preserving effect with something like cheesecloth. If this is see through enough for you, you could easily fashion that into sacks of various sizes (maybe small ones also for herbs) and it's already developed to be food safe.

Hi Casey,

Hmmmm Well it's for markets... so I can't see how it could be beautifully presented? Maybe just a piece at the bottom...

My brain was thinking a draw string bag rather like this one http://www.znaturalfoods.com/Cotton-Muslin-Bags-Small-10-ct?gclid=CjwKEAjwu8m-BRDM8KTcjdj8qy0SJACdjSZpOS6iQPE2lF7xvobCBCzEfBhNYVWTSvgz41qOrVw5hxoCIqDw_wcB The sheerer cheesecloth is also the least expensive. Making a drawstring bat wouldn't even require sewing, just fold the edge over and thread a cord through it.

I'm sorry I seem to be pressuring you here. I just got a very clear mental image when I saw your question. I've got sentimental fondness for drawstring bags. We make small ones out of wide ribbon to hang on our Christmas tree each year. Lot's of good memories tied up with them.

Ah! Never thought about that- and never seem those either before.
They are cute, a bit on the pricey side considering they would probably fit 80g of microgreens/salad max?

No you're not pressuring.. I think that's just become my style of being after adopting this crumbling house and piece of land being converted into organic farm

I still don't think I'm explaining it very well.... Here's another link http://raglady.com/Cheesecloth-Certified-Grade-10 It's just the first site I found that sells cheese cloth in inexpensive yard bolts. The most expensive on this site is 50 $ for 600 yards.

Take that material and cut it down to match your bag size. Thread thin cord or ribbon through the eye of a large needle (I think they're usually used for upholstery) and then run it along the edge of the cloth. Cut the cord with a few inches of excess and knot the ends. Under a minute (less if you're doing this by batches) and you have a charmingly rustic bag that didn't cost a mint.

OH!! I get what you mean! That's a brilliant idea!! I think you just might have rocked the world of packaged salad greens in my area

Casie! That's brilliant! I can see many uses for this relatively inexpensive cloth. In the comments on that page, people were using them to protect their trees. Could also be used in the garden to protect certain plants from predation, and as a little bit of shade. Plus the bags for produce. Plus, many uses in the kitchen, for straining, making herb bundles for soups, etc.. I'm going to get some!

Well I bought a 100 yard box and will start getting some greens sales going. I'll keep posted to let know how it goes.

Curious minds want to know how the bags are working out for you. : )

Had  greenhouse collapse, now broke financially... didn't get to try them beyond test run. Honestly not so sure...

Oh no! I'm so sorry to hear that. I hope you can get neck on your feet.

Here are some bags that might work:

Our Fruit & Veggies Mesh Produce Sacks are made of heavy duty polyester mesh. Each card includes 2 polyester mesh bags with draw cord, toggle closure – extra durable. 3 Cards per Set, total of 6 bags. Slightly larger than traditional EW produce sacks – 14” h instead of 13.5”. These produce bags are great for all types of fruits, vegetables, and bulk food items you purchase. They also help reduce the use of plastic.

   Each bag measures 14" H x 11.25" W
   Machine Washable for Easy Cleaning
   Made of heavy duty polyester mesh with Fruit & Veggies Print

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Earthwise-Reusable-Mesh-Produce-Bags-Premium-Reusable-w-toggle-closure-6-Pack

The same seller, Earthwisebags also has these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Premium-Reusable-Mesh-Produce-Bags-TARE-WEIGHT-TAGS-Set-of-9-3-Sizes

Casie Becker wrote:I still don't think I'm explaining it very well.... Here's another link http://raglady.com/Cheesecloth-Certified-Grade-10 It's just the first site I found that sells cheese cloth in inexpensive yard bolts. The most expensive on this site is 50 $ for 600 yards.

Take that material and cut it down to match your bag size. Thread thin cord or ribbon through the eye of a large needle (I think they're usually used for upholstery) and then run it along the edge of the cloth. Cut the cord with a few inches of excess and knot the ends. Under a minute (less if you're doing this by batches) and you have a charmingly rustic bag that didn't cost a mint.

Here's the picture of Casie's suggestion from the link above:

Anne Miller wrote:Here are some bags that might work:

Our Fruit & Veggies Mesh Produce Sacks are made of heavy duty polyester mesh. Each card includes 2 polyester mesh bags with draw cord, toggle closure – extra durable. 3 Cards per Set, total of 6 bags. Slightly larger than traditional EW produce sacks – 14” h instead of 13.5”. These produce bags are great for all types of fruits, vegetables, and bulk food items you purchase. They also help reduce the use of plastic.

   Each bag measures 14" H x 11.25" W
   Machine Washable for Easy Cleaning
   Made of heavy duty polyester mesh with Fruit & Veggies Print

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Earthwise-Reusable-Mesh-Produce-Bags-Premium-Reusable-w-toggle-closure-6-Pack

The same seller, Earthwisebags also has these:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Premium-Reusable-Mesh-Produce-Bags-TARE-WEIGHT-TAGS-Set-of-9-3-Sizes

And here are images from Anne's Earthwise bags links above:





Those look rather amazing.

I have two additional thoughts to add.

When I shop, I use several mesh bags sort of like the Earthwise bags, and I have cotton velcro bags that sheet sets came in (made out of the same cotton sheet fabric), and I have the more open mesh bags that potatoes came in (that red plastic mesh). I highlighted the tare weight on the second version of the bags Anne linked to because I have one clerk who takes all my produce out of my clunky bags to weigh it so I won't get charged for the weight of the bags. That's rare though. Despite my using all these alternatives, I think that often, plastic is still the better way to keep produce crisp and happy in the fridge, so for the more perishable items, I might transfer them to plastic (that I've rinsed or washed to reuse) at home.

There is a fascinating description of using plastic bags punctured with tiny holes to keep produce at its freshest and most nutritious in this book, Eating on The Wild Side:  The Missing Link to Optimum Health (Amazon affiliate link).

Eating on the Wild Side permies.com discussion thread


I never tried creating what she described, because it was still plastic, though I think the breathable cotton bags, or the cheesecloth bags would be fairly close. Produce does lose it's crispness after more than a couple days in a cloth bag, in my experience, though not terribly so. And I think breathable bags make things less likely to get moldy, which is an upside.

Casie Becker wrote:I still don't think I'm explaining it very well.... Here's another link http://raglady.com/Cheesecloth-Certified-Grade-10 It's just the first site I found that sells cheese cloth in inexpensive yard bolts.

Amazing.  How in the world do they charge so much for little tiny bags of cheesecloth???  Besides packaging, I love cheesecloth for straining out herbs from infused oils and finished tinctures.  Thanks for the link!

Hello Casie.

i work in the food industry. We use cheese cloth for all sorts of stuff, but wrapping charcuterie items is what comes to mind for me. i use it to make torchons.
If you want, you can get that kind of stuff in "jet net" style, which is just one long continuous tube of woven fabric. We use this for hams, prosciutto and the like.

People in the food industry are very picky about their specs and cost control so you can often find the exact same (jet net, ham sock, sausage casing, or french fry tray) in many many sizes, even by the milimeter in the case of sausage casing.