- According to the Debbie Meyer Green Bags official site, the idea for these bags came from Japan. Explorers found that farmers were storing food in caves for long periods of time. These caves were apparently made of a clay called oya, which absorbs ethylene gas.
- Debbie Meyer Green Bags are made with oya clay. They absorb the ethylene gas that fruits and vegetables naturally expel. Ethylene gas is what normally causes fruits to ripen and then rot. When the gas is absorbed instead, it prolongs the shelf life of the food.
- There are several types of Debbie Meyer bags. While the Green Bags are for fruits and vegetables, there are other colors of bags made for bread and grains, meat and cheese. All of these bags are available as the basic bag, which you fold over, or a deluxe version, which is double thick and has a zipper closure.
- Green Bags come in a variety of sizes. Fruits and vegetables must be dry when they go into the bag, and each bag should contain only one type of produce. The bags are either folded over or zipped closed, depending on the type. The bags can be reused up to 10 times each, which helps reduce the long-term cost.
- Green Bags are designed not only to absorb the ethylene gas and prevent food from rotting, but also to prevent mold, bacteria and fungus. However, sometimes a piece of food gets forgotten in the back of the crisper drawer. Should this happen, and mold or other unpleasantness invades the bag, it is suggested that you throw the bag away. This advice is regardless of how many times it has or has not yet been reused. Since green bags should only be rinsed with water before being used again, mold could easily escape the rinsing and colonize on the next piece of produce quickly.
