Sustainability Snapshot | Fall Quarterly 2019
Low-Waste Baking from Bulk
Holiday gatherings often include homemade baked goods. The type of gathering usually determines the type of treat- a recipe may be a family tradition, a new recipe you’ve been waiting for a reason to try, or a trusty favorite. Special holiday recipes often call for unique or seasonal ingredients, a single teaspoon of this or just a ½ cup of that. When you buy baking ingredients in traditional packaging you’re often stuck with a larger-than-needed bag taking up valuable pantry space, a bottle of an expensive spice you only needed a pinch of and a full trash can.
When you buy baking ingredients in bulk you waste less space, money, food, and packaging. The Co-op offers plastic and paper bags to take home bulk items, but to avoid the packaging all together, we welcome customers to bring their own reusable containers. Baking basics like flour and sugar can be purchased in large mason jars. Bring small bottles or jars to purchase just what you need of seasonal spices, extracts, honey and other sticky stuff.
Other Low-Waste Baking Tips
- Buy butter in a large block, instead of
- individually wrapped sticks.
- Buy milk in returnable glass jars.
- Use paper butter wrappers like parchment to line muffin tins or baking sheets.
- Invest in silicone baking sheet liners and pans to avoid using cupcake liners, foil or parchment.
- Return you egg cartons to the Co-op. Clean, sturdy cartons can be returned to the farmers for reuse.
- Reuse plastic bags as piping bags. Simply fill and cut off a corner.
- Use spent vanilla beans to make vanilla sugar. Stash them in a canister of sugar to give it a light vanilla flavor.
