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.
A morning without coffee is like sleep.
The spoon, the trivet, the spice jar, the sugar cubes, the mug, the jar, the soy milk, the coffee beans, the French press.....every single element hails from another person's reject bin. Value is a subjective thing, but sometimes that falls by the wayside in a society steeped in the dynamics of individual ownership. For me it even still takes a conscious moment of pause to keep from mentally writing-off an object as value-less once the value I had originally assigned to it in relation to my existence has dissipated. In short, culturally-familiar terms: one man's trash is another man's treasure.
Get in my belly
Sometimes the food is just too good--I eat it all before I think to take a picture. This happened when I first cooked this meal, and again with the leftovers. It was peanut sauce with shrimp and freegan pasta, spinach, red pepper, broccoli, and onion. I hope to show you more of it next time.
Final day of Frugan February meals
Breakfast: Scrambled eggs with cheddar cheese, grape tomatoes, spinach, pepper, and Cholula.
Lunch: Quinoa (made with organic chicken broth) with green peas and pink beans, dressed with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cumin, dijon, and soy sauce.
Dinner: Curried tilapia on coconut rice with curried onions, broccoli, and pineapple, with toasted flat bread.
Freegan items: Grape tomatoes, German dark wheat bread, quinoa, green peas, balsamic vinegar, cumin, olive oil, broccoli, pineapple, coconut milk, flat bread, curry, all plates and cutlery pictured, as well and pots, pans, and utensils used in cooking.
Purchased items: 2 eggs (38¢), a dash of hot sauce (2¢), 1/10 of a bag of frozen spinach (17¢), 1/2 can of pink beans (54¢), 1/2 onion (35¢), 1/2 filet of tilapia ($1.07) = $2.53
These were three particularly tasty meals, I anxiously await that day I rediscover the leftovers in the freezer!
It's a hoot!
So I know all about cost/benefit analysis. And by my calculations, I am definitely in the black. I go food "shopping" only about once a week, for maybe an hour or two. Not only does getting my food this way take less time than slugging through the aisles and lines at Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in NYC, but it's a lot more fun, and for my friends and me it's a good chance to hang out.
A good score, be it from a residence, grocery store, or anything else, is like the most gigantic Christmas stocking ever--loads of stuff, some of which we need, some of which we don't, some saving us money on what we otherwise would buy, some allowing us to finally have what we otherwise would never buy. And moreover, any utility we bestow upon the bounty is infinitely more than it would have otherwise had. It's all cause for such giddiness. And you can chat and gossip and make silly way more than when you just meet up for coffee. Then at the end of the day, you can just have a snooze and bathe in your conquest.
Olympic sustenance
If you're allowed a leave of absence from the food pyramid for the Superbowl, then it's only fair to grant the Olympics similar treatment. In that vein, I have prepared myself a glass of boxed red wine from New Hampshire, a mug of freegan potato soup with frozen corn and spinach, freegan flatbread with melted cheddar, freegan spaghetti with freegan marinara, freegan Lifesaver gummy candies, and a freegan soy milk frappé with freegan Nesquick, all conveniently placed on a 99¢ tray from the Christmas Tree Shop and afront the visage of one Apolo Ohno. A night of pleasures.
Bag of tricks getting trickier
Yesterday I went to transfer my mustard into a smaller jar to allow some breathing room in my fridge door (and use the larger jar as a glass), only to discover that my spatula was too wide for the task at hand. Bummer...until it dawned on me that my bag of tricks had recently been christened (see post below) with a tool made for precisely this occasion: the Mayoknife!
$661.30
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 |
Mystery ingredients
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!
Good gracious, Gristedes.
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.
Frugan February!
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.
Sharing is caring
One of the niceties of urban hunting and gathering is the generous stockpile that it generates in the pantry. When my brother comes over to study, I can make him a snack. I rest easy knowing there is always something to whip up, and I don't think twice about the cost (in fact, there is always plenty of food solely because it is free, otherwise I think my cabinets would be quite barren). On this day, I had hamburger buns, onions, and sloppy joe sauce all from the trash, so I paired them with some ground chuck in the freezer, and in minutes I had a hearty delicious dish to fill the belly of the brother.
Life after a UPC
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.
More from the store
I mashed the potatoes and roasted the carrots and yams, threw in some frozen peas and an organic Italian sausage that I had on hand. The next night I sauteed some onions and kale that I had from a previous trash trip and mixed it with one of those packets of Indian curry from Trader Joe's and blanketed it over the freshly baked (albeit Pillsbury) bread pictured above. Perfect easy meals for chilly autumn nights!
Cupcakes and cupcakes and cupcakes
What a welcome treat en route from one bar to another on a Friday night! And it wasn't even my idea, it was that of my wise disciple pictured here. Cupcake Shop + Garbage Bags = Bounty. The formula just came to her. That's what happens when you start thinking right.
Dean and Delucrative
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.
Sometimes money grows on rubbish
I recently secured $50 selling two charcoal BBQs that I found on the street and ended up having no room for. Two posts, two emails, two 3 minute exchanges. Now I have pocket cash and less clutter, an Irish lady has the means to cook on her camping trip, and the Broke-ology set at Lincoln Center Theater has a prop. Three winners!
$291.05
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.
The 31st
Freegan ferries powder the sidewalks of the city with magic on the last day of the month. Leases are up and people are eager to move on. Oh but bed bugs you say? Well, according to my probability tests, there is a lower likelihood for bed bugs on this day, as items aren't being tossed out in haste on the 7th or 23rd, but with timely intention right on the 31st. Another indicator for the presence of bed bugs is the type of objects piled within close enough proximity have have originated from the same apartment. If a person throws out linens and a mattress, but also spatulas and lamps and dishes, then I'm likely to deem it a simple case of moving house rather than extermination.
On this day, we gathered a bed frame with drawers in superb condition, a double memory foam mattress with cover and topper, countless sheets, duvets, comforters, dishes, cups, a rubbermaid under the bed drawer, and lots and lots of squares of mirror...perfect for arts and crafts time!
Buns and things
Seasonable for summer barbeques, I discovered quite a load of hot dog and burger buns. Grilled the asparagus, and made a refreshing chilled broccoli and tomato salad. The bagels and croissants were craft services on our film shoot.
...just the daily victuals from the square of sidewalk that never quits giving.