This past week was fairly decent. We were able to pick up a ton of free chicken scraps as well as reclaim a bit of fresh produce for ourselves. Because I don’t have a need for it, I no longer hold back any of the lettuce {which typically fills an entire box}for ourselves. Even though it is perfectly edible, we now feed it to the chickens. The honeymoon period is over, and this whole how to get free food adventure of mine seems more like a chore to me as each week passes.
Well, it seems like a chore that is, until I bring the loot home. The Girl Who Thinks She’s a Bird of course looks forward to the free boxes of produce the same way a small child wakes up on Christmas morning hoping to find treasures under the Christmas tree.
Each week brings something different. Something I wouldn’t normally buy. And so in that respect, it’s still fun.
Here’s what we were able to salvage
- 2 portobello mushrooms
- 4 white mushrooms
- 12 tomatoes
- 1 Brussels sprout
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1 tub of watermelon
- 2 quarts strawberries
- 8 pears
- 1 bunch of grapes
- 1 green onion
- 1 tiny orange fruit {what is it? Anyone know}
- 1 cucumber
- 22 apples
- 14 ears of corn
The watermelon and grapes were eaten soon after they were photographed, and we used the corn to make 2 batches of Roasted Corn with Bacon. We also made a round of dehydrated apples and I have some homemade apple sauce on the stove right now.
Now I just need to figure out what to do with all those tomatoes.
So, Mavis wants to know, did you get any fresh produce for FREE this week?
If so, how?
Did you dig for it? Did you barter for free groceries? Or did you simply ask your local grocer what they do with their scraps?
To see what else I’ve brought home over the past 2 months? Check out the stories below.
If you are interested in eating more real foods, check out the book Real Food: What to Eat and Why
Sarah B says
It’s a Kumquat.
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Kumquat-0245.jpg
Mavis says
Ha Ha Ha. Thanks Sarah!
Amanda M. says
Mavis, if you don’t know what to do with the tomatoes, what on earth are you going to do when your 4,378 different varieties start to get ripe! 🙂 If it was me I would practice making sauce or try my hand at making my own ketchup.
Mavis says
Hey, that’s a great idea! I’m going to check my book today!
Becca says
You are awesome. I got about 4 cups of fresh tart cherries from my grandparents & made my first 100% from scratch cherry cobbler/crisp. I totally made it wrong but it was goood, very good.
Mavis says
Cherries? I am jealous!
Dee says
Kumquat, I concur. For tomatoes I vote for caprese salad, or brucetta as sides for the next couple days of meals. http://www.pickyourown.com has amazing recipes for canning sauces or making ketchup, ect…
Dee says
sorry, correction, http://www.pickyourown.org***
Michelle says
Salsa! Tomatoes and cilantro and the onion. And of course add a little bit of your own goodies.
Happy chickens!! I really need to talk to Scott the produce guy.
Oh…and the tiny orange fruit is a Kumquat. Eat the peel and all. 🙂
Julie2 says
Im so glad some wonderful ladies already answered that, cuz I sooo would have spelled it wrong. Salsa with the tomatoes for your chip-loving men. Not free produce, but got some cheap strawberries from the farm up the road. Im loving them. BTW, have you ever thought of canned fruit cocktail when you get grapes in your scraps? Grapes, pears & tart apples, yum. My favorite thing my grandma cans.
Mary Ann says
Yum, portobello mushrooms! Cooked on the grill in foil with butter they are fantastic.
That poor little lone brussels sprout! lol
I’m curious — do you give all of the scraps to the chickens at once or do you dole them out little by little throughout the week?
I’m still seriously thinking about getting some chickens, but I’m worried about them pecking around in our yard. We have quarterly bug service — had a bad ant problem on this property when we moved here 10 years ago. I’m not sure what I need to worry about with pet chickens.
Margaret says
You could make and drink fresh tomato juice. Dehydrate, “sun dry”, some varieties. Make sauce and freeze or can. Can salsa if you like it, same for pizza sauce. Make tomato or tomato vegetable soup, eat fresh cooked, can or freeze
For Mary Ann
People who have chickens in their yard generally don’t have much of a bug problem, because the chickens eat nearly anything, including in addition to insects, mice and small snakes. There are organic solutions for ants. Such as, Anti Fuego by Garden-ville. It works for fire ants and other insect pests and is a soil conditioner. I used diatomaceous earth on one of my garden beds that had an ant problem. It took consistent application, but they finally gave up and left. There are other ideas online.
Mary Ann says
Thanks for that info. Much appreciated.
I’m scared to death to risk the ants coming back. They were so bad here that it was a daily nightmare of a battle trying to clean up after them. Back then, I had multiple small animal cages and the ants would get into every cage making it necessary to change the bedding daily — sometimes more than once in a day! Now I’m down to one cat and one squirrel, so it wouldn’t be nearly as bad, but still could be a nightmare.
I’ll look into that Anti Fuego by Gardenville, though. Thanks!
Meredith says
Mavis,
How did you go about getting “chicken scraps?”
We have chickens too. Should I just walk into Albertsons
and ask the produce clerk if I can have all the
produce they are throwing away for my chickens?
Mavis says
I just asked what they did with the produce they toss and if I could pick it up once a week. It was that easy. It never hurts to ask. If the first store you go to says no, try another.
Lissa says
Mavis, I totally understand what you mean….it’s starting to be such a big thing to take care of all this produce every week. Can you imagine picking up more than once a week?!
But then I go and pick up a box like today which just makes me want to dance around in the parking lot in excited glee –
7 ears corn
7 tomatoes
2.5lbs grapes
3lbs strawberries
6 heads green/romaine lettuce
1 artichoke
2 bunches Kale
1 bunch dinosaur kale
14 russet potatoes
1/2 carrot
handful raspberries/blackberries
and……..almost 3 pounds of Rainier Cherries!!
I have a BBQ on Saturday….so making a strawberry shortcake and bringing corn to roast. Extra lettuce to my neighbor with a tortoise. The rest will be eaten up pretty quickly, luckily not a ton of prep-work with this batch. OMG I could never have imagined FREE cherries!!!
Thank you again Mavis!
Erin O. says
I like to roast my excess tomatoes in a little olive oil and salt and pepper. I then put in ziplock bags and freeze. In winter I like to make the barefoot contessas roasted tomato soup, I simply grap a bag or two out of the freezer and cook and blend as usual. Using your own is so much better than going to the grocery store and buying the can.
I also like to dehydrate the tomatoes and throw them into pasta salads throughout the summer and fall.
There was an old Martha Stewert episode on years ago and she was canning tomatoes. She laid basil up the sides of a mason jar an then filled with her tomatoes and canned as usual. It was so pretty on the shelf, and in such a decorative form could make a lovely gift with some free pasta.
Yvette Robertson says
Love to roast tomatoes with olive oil, garlic and pepper then freeze. It’s like a bag of summer sunshine when I bring some out in the middle of winter to make sauce or soup!
Mavis says
A bag of sunshine is right! 🙂
HollyG says
This week I picked up a bunch of tomatoes (pizza sauce), onions, lots of onions, corn (for salad and the chickens), mangoes, avocados, carrots (10 pounds), mushrooms, garlic, tarragon, oregano, poultry mix, sage, peppers, and 2 bouquets of flowers. Yeah free food!
Also, thank you…..the book and CD are a fabulous start to my summer vacation.
Marie Dorris says
and to correct myself i meant week# 9
Marie Dorris says
okay i have not gotten this comment on the correct post thing down today obviously haha. The orange thing appears to be a kumquat. =)
MiaE says
So far I tried one larger store and they told me the policy is to donate to the food bank, which I definitely understand. Any suggestions of specific types of stores to try? The store that I went to suggested going to a farmer’s market for “chicken feed”. Has anyone tried this? I am ready to get the chicken’s just to get the free produce! LOL