Westerly Natural Market is one of my favorite stores in Manhattan. The narrow aisles are packed with a huge selection of organic produce, nutritional supplements, and natural body care products. Sometimes I run down for a visit during lunch to stack up on snacks such as nuts and raisins. The store carries many products that help to green your home and kitchen such as Bee’s Wrap, which is a sustainable alternative to plastic wrap for food storage.
Bee’s Wrap is a Vermont based company founded by a mother of three trying to eliminate plastic in her kitchen. She created a washable, reusable, and compostable alternative to plastic wrap by infusing organic cotton with beeswax, organic jojoba oil, and tree resin. True to the founder’s sustainable philosophy, the fabric and printing is certified by the Global Organic Textile Standard.
The eco-friendly designs look super-cute with a beehive pattern and come in multiple sizes. You can also buy the wraps specifically for a baguette, loaf of bread, or sandwich. They are great for wrapping a piece of cheese, half an avocado, or covering a bowl.
Simply use the warmth of your hands to soften the beeswax so that you can mold it to the top of a bowl. When it cools, it holds its shape and seals. The products are great for wrapping sandwiches for the office, school, or picnic. They are reusable up to one year. After you used the wraps, simply wash them with cold water and gentle soap.
Additional products come as assorted sets with a clover print in purple and a geometric print in teal. Some sandwich wraps include a hemp twine and a hardwood button, so that they are easier to close.
Once opened, they double as a placemat or plate, making them perfect for back to school. Then of course, Bee’s Wrap has some great advice for the wrap’s disposal after the end of its useful life. Simply cut it into strips to add to a compost heap or wrap them around pieces of kindling for a natural fire starter.