Organic cotton, happy vegetables

Sometimes the old-fashioned way is best. That’s what Sally Erickson, founder of Vejibag, discovered when she looked for a way to keep vegetables fresh from the time they were picked in her greenhouse in Eastport, Maine, until the time customers took them home from the local co-op. 

What Erickson learned is that the old-fashioned method of storing vegetables in moistened tea towels or burlap creates the cool, damp environment vegetables crave. As moisture slowly evaporates from the surface of the bag, air circulates and keeps the vegetables “breathing.”

To make a container without creating plastic waste or using toxic chemicals, she created Vejibag, a storage bag made of organic cotton French terry knit that contains no dyes or chemicals. The first bags were prototyped in Erickson’s living room, and, as the idea caught on, she collaborated with local women who would sew the bags in their own homes. Today, Vejibags are constructed at a worker-owned facility in Valdese, N.C.

Vejibags are easy to use—simply wet and wring the bags, rinse the vegetables, shake off excess water and then store—and provide a sustainable solution that keeps shoppers and the earth happy. For more information, visit www.vejibag.com.