[i.e. the years I lived as a dumpster diver in NYC]
Mushrooms, parsley, lettuce, green beans, broccoli, corn, eggplant, red and yellow bell pepper, parsnips, carrots, yellow squash, apples, salad dressing, whole wheat bread, baguettes, cheesy enchilada Cheetos, Fritos. Vegetables are par for the course, but what a treat to find stuff I'd never buy. Every so often, I take one for the team and clog my arteries instead of our landfills. Can't wait to get my Frito cook on!
Four giant cookie jars, tank top, t-shirt, cardigan, bushes of kale, bell peppers, purple and white eggplants, dark chocolate covered orange peel, zucchini, corn, banana, bellini mix, English muffins, burger buns, raisin bread, and a neti pot! The jars were a bit grungy, but nothing a little scrub-a-dub couldn't take care of. And with my household storage capacity reaching its limit, I gifted much of the top layer to friends.
Since (as I've disclosed with some sense of longing) I don't currently share my life with a dog, I transplanted this trash-load of canine canned food and condiment from the sidewalk in Greenwich Village to the animal shelter in SoHo. And following suit, this doggie in the window is having a snooze because his belly is so full!
Ownership transferred, value reinstated, puppy well-sated.
Honey Bunches of Oats with Peaches! (a happy chance to give a new flavor a go), one package of naan, 5 huge cans of pear halves, 2 apples, 9 limes, 2 bananas, one jar of strawberry jam. As per usual, there was plenty more, but some was divvied up amongst my companions, and the remainder was, with a tear, left behind.
The most fun find of the evening though was bag containing 36 cans of dog food and 6 bottles of dog food condiment, each in fine shape, with more than a year left until expiration, and under no recall. A regrettable aspect of the current state of my existence however is that I have no dog. But if anybody could care less about the origin of tasty food, it would be a dog. So I nabbed the cans, and have little doubt that I'll find an eager taker.
I found myself with a can of sweet potato puree from one trash pile and a can of evaporated milk from another, neither of which I've ever really used before. I had a frozen pie crust also from the garbage some weeks prior, so as it turns out, a pie was in order. The pecans were leftover from a trip to Trader Joe's when my mom was in town and I mixed them with melted brown sugar and butter for a crunchy caramelized topping. It's lovely when various ingredients from different origins just come together peachy keen like that. Pantries are a great thing indeed.
6 tomatoes, 2 containers of mushrooms, 2 bags of spinach, 6 sweet potatoes, 1 butternut squash, 1 pack of blueberries, 3 baking potatoes, 3 limes, 2 bags of hamburger buns, 10 bagels, 2 bialys, 8 bags of Smart Food popcorn, and 9 bags of Pirate's Booty--not bad for just a quick jaunt on a hungry tummy after yoga. And as ever, from the trash, with loads left behind.
One store, one night.
A sea of non-perishables--from clam knives to cranberry to corn picks to candles to cous cous...and even grapefruit spoons! Click 'read more' for itemized list and prices.
The market staff was nothing less than friendly. I made it a point to assure them I would tie everything back as I found it, and while placing new bags carefully separate from those I had already rummaged through, they joked with me about how many jars of mustard one person could consume. Nothing was defective, some of the food was expired (but of course in sealed, clean, pristine packaging). All of the utensils, gadgets, cleaning cloths, candles, and so on were of course without an expiration date and fully functional, all be their packaging slightly dated (cheesy graphics, glue around plastic packaging had become brittle). I understand that food goods have expiration dates, beyond which, in our litigious society, liability becomes an issue. But I find it so difficult to stomach the mass disposal of brand new unopened can openers, strainers, thermometers, pencils, knife sharpeners, rubber gloves, and honey stirrers being thrown. I find myself desiring ever more the implementation of infrastructure to absorb this excess. It could be as simple as an individual (yes, there happens to be a mirror just across from my desk) willing to transport these goods from the market to the pantry, the shelter, the Salvo, what have you. The inventory is as follows:
| Item | Units | Price | Total | ||||
| Power Bars | 36 | $2.49 | $89.64 | ||||
| Kind Bars | 1 | $2.49 | $2.49 | ||||
| Cliff Bars | 1 | $2.49 | $2.49 | ||||
| Good Earth Tea | 5 | $1.50 | $7.50 | ||||
| Granola | 6 | $3.99 | $23.94 | ||||
| Pomegrante | 1 | $5.99 | $5.99 | ||||
| McCann's Irish Oatmeal | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | ||||
| Raisins (assorted flavor) | 10 | $1.50 | $15.00 | ||||
| Boulder Canyon Chips | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Rice Select Organic Rice | 8 | $3.49 | $27.92 | ||||
| Near East Long Grain Wild Rice | 4 | $3.49 | $13.96 | ||||
| Grey Poupon Squeeze Bottle | 3 | $4.19 | $12.57 | ||||
| Maille Dijon | 3 | $4.19 | $12.57 | ||||
| Dijon Country Jar | 1 | $5.99 | $5.99 | ||||
| Sweet Pea Can | 1 | $1.99 | $1.99 | ||||
| Cranberry Sauce | 1 | $2.49 | $2.49 | ||||
| Cambells's Chunky | 1 | $3.49 | $3.49 | ||||
| Progresso Tomato Puree | 1 | $1.50 | $1.50 | ||||
| Escarole in Broth | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | ||||
| Lucini Fig and Walnut Balsamic | 2 | $3.00 | $6.00 | ||||
| Numeral candle | 44 | $0.99 | $43.56 | ||||
| Soy milk | 17 | $1.50 | $25.50 | ||||
| Chanukah Candles | 6 | $2.00 | $12.00 | ||||
| Playtex Living Gloves | 3 | $2.99 | $8.97 | ||||
| Potato Leek, Mushroom soup | 3 | $1.50 | $4.50 | ||||
| Chicken Broth | 2 | $1.50 | $3.00 | ||||
| Tomato Couscous | 1 | $14.29 | $14.29 | ||||
| Shower curtain | 1 | $6.99 | $6.99 | ||||
| Mr Clean reusable wipes | 7 | $1.99 | $13.93 | ||||
| T-Stick | 4 | $2.99 | $11.96 | ||||
| Pencils | 1 | $1.69 | $1.69 | ||||
| Sharpie | 1 | $6.99 | $6.99 | ||||
| Poultry Lacers | 8 | $2.19 | $17.52 | ||||
| Disinfectant Wipes | 8 | $2.99 | $23.92 | ||||
| Salt and Pepper Mill | 1 | $12.99 | $12.99 | ||||
| Ice Cream Scoop | 1 | $2.99 | $2.99 | ||||
| Honey Server | 10 | $0.99 | $9.90 | ||||
| Spatulas | 3 | $3.99 | $11.97 | ||||
| Heat Resistant Spatula | 1 | $5.99 | $5.99 | ||||
| Spoonula | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | ||||
| Apple Corer | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Grapefruit Spoons | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Clam Knifes | 2 | $2.99 | $5.98 | ||||
| Casabella Water Stop Gloves | 3 | $3.99 | $11.97 | ||||
| Window Cleaning Cloths | 6 | $2.49 | $14.94 | ||||
| Turkey Timer | 4 | $0.69 | $2.76 | ||||
| Kitchen Thermometer | 1 | $9.99 | $9.99 | ||||
| Beef Raw Hide | 1 | $3.29 | $3.29 | ||||
| Assorted Cleaning | 5 | $1.99 | $9.95 | ||||
| Gulf Wax | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Knife Sharpeners | 2 | $2.49 | $4.98 | ||||
| Shrimp Deveiner | 1 | $3.99 | $3.99 | ||||
| Wrist Tape | 2 | $4.29 | $8.58 | ||||
| Corn Picks | 5 | $3.99 | $19.95 | ||||
| Mayo Knives | 7 | $1.99 | $13.93 | ||||
| Mildew Gone | 1 | $2.99 | $2.99 | ||||
| Toothbrush Covers | 3 | $1.29 | $3.87 | ||||
| Cheese Markers | 2 | $1.79 | $3.58 | ||||
| Butter Slicer | 1 | $4.99 | $4.99 | ||||
| Mini Strainer | 1 | $2.99 | $2.99 | ||||
| Meat Thermometer | 1 | $9.99 | $9.99 | ||||
| Kitchen Wine, Sherry, Vermouth | 5 | $3.89 | $19.45 | ||||
| TOTAL |
|
||||||
| GRAND | TOTAL | $661.30 |
One nice thing about dumpster diving is that you never know what you're gonna get, so you end up cooking stuff you wouldn't otherwise. Case in point: rutabaga. I don't think I had ever even held a rutabaga in my hand until I unearthed it from the garbage bag. But the superbowl was coming up, and I also had potatoes and ricotta from the garbage and parmesan and creme fraiche left from my roommate who moved out...so I made a slightly wonky but delicious rutabaga and potato gratin. I also had salsa, marshmallows, and hot dogs buns left from a previous dive, so I purchased the appropriate accompaniments and had quite the last-minute superbowl feast to share with my friends--and I even watched like two minutes of the game for good measure!
Artichokes, rutabagas, mushrooms, apples, tofu, flat bread, pumpernickel bread, bread rolls, sweet potato pie, oranges, bananas, potatoes, sour cream, ricotta cheese, string cheese, cream cheese, Gobstoppers, Life Saver gummies, and oh so many Hot Tamales.
Need I say it? From the trash bags, outside grocery store, en route to landfill.
This month I'm eating everything frugan. This is a taste of how it's going:
The tortilla española is a perfect frugan meal--full of ingredients easily acquired, painless to make, warm and filling. I put together a couple potatoes and onions salvaged from the garbage, some meatless Italian sausage that I had leftover in the freezer, 5 eggs, creme fraiche my roommate had left behind, and a glass of delicious boxed wine purchased in New Hampshire, the land free of sin taxes.
Lunch at the office--cottage cheese from the trash, leftover quinoa salad I had made from onions, spinach, mushrooms, and quinoa from the garbage and then frozen, and some pudding from Wal-Mart (yes, Wal-Mart. My boybott is on hiatus while they seem to explore sustainable business practices with a good deal of dedication).
The next night I took three bean stew that I had from the trash, fancied it up with some of the quinoa salad that I still had leftover, and heated up cheese toast with bread from the trash, cheese leftover from my roommates who had moved out, and some sate seasoning from my mother.
This is a nice find, because while I don't rely on frozen meals day to day, and would rarely spend the money on them, they are convenient, and these being Amy's pretty near delicious and not horrendously life-reducing. I took plenty, but left behind plenty more. Each had been stripped of its UPC code. I presume this has something to do with audits from the distributor or whomever regarding what did and didn't sell. This practice doesn't affect the edibility of a product like these frozen meals, which contain an inner plastic sheath, but that's not true of everything. Milk for example is a liquid and liquids don't remain within the bounds of a container once a 1.5" x 1" rectangle has been cut from it. Needless to say, the milk is poured down the drain before the jugs make it out to the street. I find milk to be a most divine drink, and it saddens me terribly to come upon piles of drained containers, each with a matching puncture wound.
A whisk, sea salt, bagels, assorted herbs, salad dressing (probably 8 jars), skewers (a handful out of thousands), soy sauce, BBQ sauce, tomato paste, green beans, dozens of eggs, a peeler, and cookie cutters!
Please note that the fumee de sel carries a price tag of $28. And cookie cutters don't go bad.
I tallied the price tags of the non-perishables that I collected from Gristedes the other day.
The total is $291.05.
I only took what I wanted and could carry, which was only about 1/5 of what was there. And the figure doesn't include baked goods or produce. And that was only one store out of so very many on one night out of so very many. Consider how much that all adds up to!
I understand the need for an sell-by labeling system. It's the same with college move-out day--I understand why it happens, I know the feeling of having three hours to pack to move across the country while hungover, with your parents looking over your shoulder, foreseeing no future use for a shower caddy or XL twin sheets. The frustration I have is that because it is foreseen and unfailing, then infrastructure should be in place to comfortably consign the goods to another user. Cambells soup! The most classically non-perishable food item I can imagine, was being thrown out by the dozen. Yes, the sell-by date had come and gone, so fine...the store can't sell it. But value does not have to vaporize along with that store's ability to put it on their shelves.
The granola and nuts were being tossed because their expiration date had passed. The thing is, granola doesn't instantaneously spoil. A cereal moth might nudge it's way in, or the oil might begin to taste past its best, but even then it's a matter of taste--it's nothing biological emetic. That being the case, it would be nice if there were a way for liability to be relaxed so that perfectly edible food could be redistributed.
I don't meant to get preachy, but with 400,000 people in New York City suffering from moderate to severe hunger, and over 1,000 soup kitchens & food pantries in operation, many far over capacity, the framework of food disposal seems to be in need of a major overhaul.
Quaker instant oatmeal, Irish steel cut oatmeal, Fruit Loops cereal straws, cream of wheat, grits, toasted cream of wheat, Bran Flakes, Curves cereal, All Bran, Pop Tarts, and Kern's apricot juice.
Gleaned from only a small portion of EC and River (and pictured is less than half of my bounty alone): fully functional printer/scanner, iron, fan, heater, flat screen television, bluetooth mouse, detergent, fabric softener, pots and pans, sealed cereal, pasta, sauces, popcorn, granola, oil, sugar, grains, tea, coffee, canned goods....canned goods! I'm amazed that despite years of indoctrination through canned food drives, students can still throw out canned goods. Furthermore, although book drive boxes were conveniently placed in the lobby of each building, hundreds of books remained trashed. If even these kids can't get it right even under these circumstances...eeesh. Nevertheless I'll begrudgingly reap the benefits!
In preparation for my picnic this weekend, I went on a food run at Gristedes. Freegan findings: 4 cartons of spinach, 3 boxes meatless buffalo wings, 2 boxes meatless chicken wings, 4 red bell peppers, 2 green bell peppers, 2 apples, 1 pear, 3 bananas, 2 carrots, 1 cucumber, 1 head of lettuce, 2 bags chips, 1 bag of pretzels, and 2 cylinders of biscuit dough. And with the generous aid of some condiments, I had a picnic.
