Thanksgiving traditions: Leftovers and binge shopping
By Karina | November 19, 2007
American Thanksgiving is coming up on Thursday, and with it comes two areas in which we can all make some tiny choices:
1. Leftovers! Thanksgiving is about food, and lots of it. Whether you’re at Auntie So-and-So’s for a giant home-cooked meal with so many guests that you have to sit with the little kids at a seperate table in the living room, or if you’re having take-out at home in a more intimate setting, there are bound to be leftovers. When you’re packing them up, try to avoid using lots of disposable products. In my family we rely heavily on “tennessee tupperware,” or reusing lidded containers that come free with purchase of food. (My Dad’s family is from Tennessee, hence the name.) Instead of recycling food containers my family saves them to store food or to give away extra soup — It’s a regular occurrence to be sent home from family dinner with an old margarine container or a fancy closeable container from chinese takeout full of leftovers. If you don’t have anything to reuse, try something made from recyclable materials that can be reused in the future. I just came across these new reusable storage containers from preserve, made from 100% recycled #5 plastic and 100% post-consumer recycled paper. And this might be a little bit late in the season to capture Thanksgiving leftovers, but I have purchased vintage tupperware from ebay for my in-kitchen storage. It’s inexpensive and it removes something still-usable from a potential waste stream.
If you’re concerned about the potential for toxins to leach out of old plastic containers used for storage containers, follow these simple rules of thumb to stay extra safe:
- Don’t reheat food in the containers – transfer to a non-plastic plate or bowl
- Don’t put the containers in the dishwasher – the heat may cause the plastics to breakdown faster.
- If the containers are scratched go ahead and recycle them. There will be more where these came from!
2. The official Start of Holiday Shopping. I’ve let my family know that I am committed to buy handmade this year, and that I hope they will go the extra mile as well. Not everyone has the time or the skill to make gifts for their friends and families. (Some day I may confess to you all the sad story of all of my unfinished craft projects. Or maybe I won’t.) By linking several handmade shopping areas in one place, buyhandmade is an easy resource to give to loved ones when they ask you what you want for the holidays. Anyway, who needs another excuse to avoid waking up at 3AM for black friday shopping? I sure don’t, even if some stores will be offering continental breakfasts. Stay at home, sleep in, and make a lovely brunch for friends or family instead.
Vintage Thanksgiving postcard image from flickr user riptheskull via creative commons.
Do you have any especially “green” Thanksgiving traditons?
Topics: Food, Home | 8 Comments »
instead of a massive turkey, we serve lasagna at thanksgiving dinner. less impact on the environment (that ol’ vegetarian thing) and lasagna is easier to freeze if there are leftovers. :)
that’s a great tradition! do you think you could shape the lasagna into a turkey, though? THAT would be amazing.
Well, now that I work at the store I guess every holiday is a little green! We’ll be closed Thanksgiving Day but open the day afterwards, so we do hope that shoppers wander in and hang out (we’re having an open house in the evening).
Oh, the leftovers holders of choice in my family are the soup containers from the local chinese restaurant.
local chinese restaurants around here have the most DELUXE containers!
When I was in college, there were three other people in my extended family who were also in college. The aunt that hosted Thanksgiving that year told all four of us to “bring tupperware.” She also had some Tennessee tupperware of her own, and she sent the three of us home with masses of leftovers. It was great.
[...] Thanksgiving traditions: Leftovers and binge shopping [...]
[...] time, and now it’s an orgy of shopping that seems to last from before Thanksgiving through the infamous Black Friday and straight up to right as your driving to your friends house to gift [...]
Black Friday…
I always say shopping is cheaper than a psychiatrist. -Tammy Faye Bakker :o) Happy Holidays!…