Plastic free July is here but where do I start?
Well why not go for the low hanging fruit and have another look at your local greengrocer?
Sold typically loose rather than in plastic punnets with plastic mesh all over the place the fruit and veg you get in these outlets are of a far better quality than their supermarket alternatives. Why? Well these traders typically source their products daily from their local fruit and vegetable wholesale markets first thing everyday and that is as close as you can get to buying the best available, no pre orders here!
Traders will be fussy, remember they have to sell what they buy fast as there is a finite time these items will look and indeed be their best, no pressure.
Take some time and meet these people they are some of the hardiest folk you will ever meet, rain or shine, blistering or freezing they stand out at the front of the stalls and talk to the traders about their "pots" "toms" and just about everything you can think of most days in life.
Traders are a similar bunch, switched on is an understatement, if they get it wrong here they suffer for the rest of the day, put simply this is a tough trade.
For us though as consumers we get the benefits of all of that effort where we see amazing quality fruit and veg in all its glory every day in life where the merchant has often picked up a potato that morning to check it, rubbed his thumbnail over it to release the colour of the flesh to ensure A grade quality or the trader checks the aroma is right of an item to assess its flavour and ripeness, skills they collect over years of practice and all this only hours from you and I being able to buy it, supermarkets simply cannot even think about that level of selection!
So your sold, your local greengrocer has the edge but there is another main benefit, the distinct lack of plastic in the packaging on show, what little there is consists of a paper bag normally! Traders need to display the items as beautifully as they can, forget plastic punnets in plastic mesh here as these outlets let you shop with your eyes to see what amazing items are available.
So, it is Plastic Free July why not take a trip to your local greengrocer and enjoy buying your fruit and veg today without the plastic, I guarantee you will be hooked the minute you walk in.