Well it was another awesome possum week in the reclaimed food department. We were able to pick up 4 boxes for fruits and vegetables from Mr. Produce Guy. All of which was headed for the dumpster.
Spotted bananas, heck yeah I’ll take those. I can turn them in to Banana Bread, Banana Fudgesicles, Banana Cake, or Banana Pudding, thank you very much! 😉
Free carrots? Yup, we’ll eat those too. Do you think people really choose The Biggest Loser carrots over different brands?
Asparagus with wilted, slimy tops? No thanks, but the chickens like to peck at them.
Hmmm. Peppers with a wee be of decay on the bottom, what do you think?
I’m keeping them! Why? Because I have this handy thing called a knife and I know how to cut out the bad parts! Weeeeeee, snagging reclaimed food to stretch my grocery dollars is fun!
So what do you think? Am I crazy, or would you have thrown all this away too?
Mavis wants to know!
Would you like to see what else we have brought home over the past year?
Head on over HERE to read all the past stories and to see all the pictures.
If you have just stumbled upon this series and are wondering how I got all this food for free, you’ll want to read this story first.
ND says
I’ve been likewise blessed with produce. Last summer I somehow stumbled into the right guy at my favorite market. Turns out he was the receiving manager. He has since shared with me hundreds of thousands of pounds of food destined for the trash. Its more common for me to be given multiple pallets of food at a time then just a box or two. I have now set up a network of people who help me distribute the food to people they know so I don’t have to find a home for 1,200 lbs of strawberries before they spoil in the summer heat by myself. I also feed my chickens (and friend’s chickens), my friends cattle (corn to fatten them) and my best friend and I even bought 4 piglets because we got so much free food we can easily raise more animals to feed our families. This has been an incredible blessing to many people in my network. I’ve never expected anything for sharing my great abundance but many people have shown their gratitude by giving me excess of anything they have: fresh caught Alaskan salmon from their summer house, goat, lamb and beef, free haircuts, eggs, hens and so much more! My heart is warmed by the selfless nature of so many people. We all bless each other by sharing what we have! I love to barter as well! honestly don’t know how I came into this opportunity but I sure hope others do too! (you should see my pantry filled with canned ‘Garbage food’!
Jen says
You’re lucky… The only place I’ve found to reclaim produce is a little produce stand. I picked up a box one day and it had a bunch of moldy stuff, and actual garbage. They use the old produce box as a trashcan too… Like fast food wrappers, gum, tissue, etc gross!
Pat Giaquinta says
No way would I throw any of this produce away ~ it would be great for make-ahead & freeze soups, casseroles &, of course, for chicken treats. Waste not…….want not!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ruth says
No, I would not throw it away! We try to use up everything we possibly can… breads (with the fruit), soups, stews, broth, and anything we can’t eat goes to the chickens, cats, dog or if all else fails… the compost pile. 🙂
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
Wow! If pepper ever go below $1.50/ea I stock up. And that pretty much never happens. You are a very lucky ducky!
KK
Kim O'Donoghue says
Ironically, those Biggest Loser carrots are so sweet and crunchy! I actually look for them in our market here in Masachusetts, because they r the best mini carrots I’ve ever munched on:)
Mavis Butterfield says
Ha! I haven’t tasted them yet. I wonder if I can taste a difference too.