A quick fix and the glory of sandwiches

Sometimes, it's nice to just stop by the dumpster and pick up a few ingredients for dinner. In this run, I ended up picking up broccoli & zucchini for a side dish and enough fruit to make a fruit salad for dessert. Yum!
- 4 pkgs strawberries
- 1 zucchini
- 1 broccoli stalk
- 4 oranges
- 6 apples

Also, when you pick up odds and ends, it's really easy and wonderful to make sandwiches to take with you to work for lunch. I got a lot of pre-cooked turkey breast, bread that I'd frozen, and some tomatoes and greens in a recent haul. It's a nice, healthy way to use up all the ingredients outside of a salad. There's nothing easier than a sandwich!

June Bounty & The Unfortunate Truth About Dumpster Divers

I was away for a big part of June and July, meaning I did buckle down and buy some canned food to go camping with and didn't have a big opportunity to dumpster while I was in West Virginia (although I did scope out the dumpsters there for next time - there were 3 great ones in the town I stay in)!

So, here's my pretty meager list of dumpster bounty from June:  

6/15
- 1 cucumber
- 1 red pepper
- 1 red onion
- 1 bundle spinach
- 1 bundle bok choy
- 1 honeydew melon
- 4 bananas
- 4 golden russet potatoes
- 1 (very small) head broccoli
- 6 sweet potatoes (I gave a few away)
- 9 red delicious apples (I also gave some of these away)

So, I don't usually dumpster earlier in the evening when stores are still open, but this particular evening I did.  I went into the store right afterward since I needed a head of garlic.  Coming back to my car (I always park near the dumpster), I saw another fellow dumpster diver!  For some reason, I had always assumed that I was the only dumpster diver in the small, suburban town I had been living in, since I had only seen people I had introduced to diving at the dumpsters I frequented.  I was so excited to see another diver!  I was completely creepy and watched him dumpster from my car since I was so surprised to see another person!  He wasn't your usual, younger, hippy-vibe kind of dude.  Instead, he was older, fat, wearing flannel, suspenders, and a trucker cap (very blue-collar).  He took some produce out and went on his way.

A universal part of dumpster ethics is this: you always leave something for others when you dumpster because you never know who else is diving the same dumpsters as you are.

This also brings up another odd reality of my dumpstering; I'm fortunate in the fact that I could probably make ends meet if I had to buy groceries.  I might have to apply for food stamps again, but I could probably work out feeding myself within my job's pay scale.  Not everyone can do that.  With unemployment rates higher than ever and people with big enough families to feed where food stamps might not cut it, dumpstering is on the rise.   

The unfortunate truth is that most of the dumpster divers I know (and most of the dumpster diving population in general) don't actually NEED to do it.  Some have trust funds, some have well-paying jobs and it's an ethical choice, and some are the stereotypical artist/musician collecting unemployment who could definitely get a better-paying job given their education.  I personally started when I was unemployed and trying to save money, but also felt really good about the idea that I was saving waste from a landfill.  When I started dumpstering, it was a matter of survival, but now I continue to do it with environmental and thrifty motivations, not because I would starve if I stopped.

Many dumpster divers I know view dumpstering as a rebellious act to subvert consumerist culture, not as a necessity for survival.  Seeing this blue-collar guy with 2 kids in his van dumpstering right after I did filled me with guilt.  I had left plenty of food in the dumpster, but the truth was, I probably took the best produce there was.  There's something that feels selfish about dumpstering if you don't have to.  I saw the guy in the trucker hat dumpstering, but it was still early evening - how many more cars with kids were going to pull up to the dumpster after him?  How many more families NEEDED the food that I was taking?  My wish to save the environment is rendered frivolous compared to a family's instinct to feed themselves and survive.  I would guess that sitting around the dinner table, that man's family isn't discussing how great it feels to be reducing greenhouse gases by virtue of the meal they prepared, or how awesome it feels to stick it to capitalist America over green beans.

The balance is hard to strike.  I'm not going to stop dumpstering, because I DO still want to save the environment (and my own money).  However, I need to consider others a bit more when I'm picking my produce out...

My feelings surrounding this subject aren't completely clear yet, but this experience has definitely produced a shift in my dumpstering practice since it happened.  We'll see how the future progresses.

May Bounty

So, May was also not a particularly fruitful dumpster bounty month for me either since I moved to a new house and also was away for about week in West Virginia (where I brought dumpstered food to make breakfast for some friends; they loved it).  I'll be back up there pretty soon, though, so I'll try to post a West Virginia-style Trash to Table road trip story sometime soon.

Tuesday 5/15 – I tried Trader Joe’s first, but the dumpster was literally too full to pull anything out of without being really conspicuous.  It was a bummer to see it all go to waste.  Instead, I hit up the Food Lion and still came out on top.

-       6 pkgs broccolini

-       1 head broccoli

-       1 yellow onion

-       3 large white potatoes

-       1 turnip

-       1 carrot

-       1 light green pepper

-       2 green bell peppers

-       1 bottle liquid aminos (basically healthier soy sauce)

-       1 pkg strawberries

-       1 head lettuce

-       4 pkgs white mushrooms

-       1 golden delicious apple

-       4 vine-ripe tomatoes

April Bounty

April was a ridiculously busy month for me, meaning I ended up eating out a little and made my dumpster bounty last a loooonnnggggggg time somehow since I only dumpstered once.

4/9
I ended up sharing some of this with a friend, but kept most/all of it.
Note: All the meat was frozen or super-cold to the touch, so I took it. Given how warm it's been getting, I normally wouldn't take meat this late in the year unless it was frozen...
- 2 pkg beef oxtails (frozen to make pho later!)
- 1 pkg beef ribs (marinated and grilled later)
- 1 pkg beef chuck steaks (2 per pkg)
- 1 pkg of MY FAVORITE BRAND OF BACON THAT WAS MONTHS AWAY FROM THE EXPIRATION DATE! This is dumpster magic.
- 5 zucchini
- 1 itty bitty head of broccoli
- 1 ear of corn
- 1 bunch of spring onions
- 1 bunch collards
- 1 bunch red leaf lettuce
- 2 bunches of radishe
- 4 bananas (used for oatmeal breakfasts!)
- 1 bunch celery
- 2 orange bell peppers
- 2 green bell peppers


And somehow, along with dried or frozen goods that I already had plus eating out a bit, I made this last a full month.  I'm pretty proud of myself on that front.

I'm about to move back into the city, which makes me a bit nervous for my dumpstering habits.  There are still a few good ones near my work, but I'll need to explore some closer to home...look forward to an entry on how to find new dumpsters!!


  

March Bounty

Now that I'm dumpstering more often, I decided to start consolidating my dumpstering bounty entries by month instead of doing a separate entry every time I go...because I've been going quite a bit. Lately, instead of doing larger excursions I've been trying to just stop by (sometimes while I'm grocery shopping later at night even), peek in, see a few things I want, take them, and move on. I was averaging 1 huge dumpster bounty a month last year, and so far this year I've been averaging once a week, which has kept me pretty sustained with the addition of shopping for some staples that are hard to come by in the dumpster.

2/20

- 1 bag organic sugar
- 3 red onions
- 1 bag grapefruit
- 1 seedless watermelon
- 7 honeycrisp apples
- 2 bags pizza dough
- 1 pkg cooked chicken
- 2 bananas
- 2 zucchini
- 1 cucumber
- 1 eggplant
- 1 bag potatoes
- 1 orange bell pepper
- 1 green bell pepper
- 1 bunch radishes
- 1 lemon
- 1 pkg white mushrooms
- 7 tomatoes
- 1 pkg vine ripened tomatoes
- 1 portabella mushroom
- 1 pkg sliced provalone
- 1 carton coconut milk
- 1 box creamy tomato soup
- 1 pkg boneless skinless chicken thigh
- 2 pkgs pita bread
- 1 bag dried fruit
- 1 bag oranges
- 3 pkgs strawberries
- 2 veggie hummus wraps

3/5

- 4 oranges
- 6 apples
- Lean cuisine spinach artichoke dip w/ pita bread
- 1 head broccoli
- 1 lime
- 1 red jalapeno
- 2 heads huge bok choy
- 7 yellow onions
- 1 cucumber
- 6 bananas
- 1 portabella mushroom cap
- 2 pkgs sliced baby portabella mushrooms
- A few white mushrooms
- 1 pkg extra-firm tofu
- 1 very small tomato
- 1 bunch radishes

3/15 Bounty

- 1 pkg beer brat sausages

- Pre-cooked pulled pork

- 1 vegetable tray w/ cherry tomatoes, celery, broccoli, & carrots

3/29
- 2 heads broccoli
- 1 bunch kale
- 3 tomatoes

Mushroom Compote and Bounty

Ingredients:

- 3 tablespoons butter or olive oil (if you want it to be vegan) - 1 onion, thinly sliced

- 1 bell pepper (I used yellow) - 1 pound mushrooms, sliced (I used baby portabella and white button mushrooms mixed in together) - 2/3 cup red wine vinegar - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard - 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (substitute soy sauce if you want it to be vegetarian) - 1 dash Tabasco sauce - 3 tablespoons brown sugar - 3 tablespoons seedless raisins
- 1-2 potatoes (if you want to serve the compote over something to make it a heartier meal instead of a side dish)

- Bread (if you want to serve the compote on toast instead of potatoes)

- Salt & pepper to taste

Melt butter in a pan. Add onions and sauté over medium-low heat until soft. Add mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms begin to soften. Mix remaining ingredients together and add to the pan. Bring to a boil over moderately high heat and cook, stirring often, until mixture becomes thick and syrupy. Season with salt and pepper to your liking!

While you're doing this, boil water and boil some potatoes until they're soft and smash up the potatoes to serve the compote over. Either that, or toast some bread and serve the compote over that!

Items not dumpstered: Butter, vinegar, worshteshire, tabasco

I went dumpstering alone on my way home from work on 2/7 and came up with enough food to last me 2 weeks!
- 1 pound 93% lean ground beef
- Brew-n-Brats (made with beer)
- 3 pkgs strawberries (2 large, 1 small - gave small one to Kevin, one to Steve)
- 1 pkg baby portabella mushrooms
- 1 bag semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 4 ciabatta rolls
- 1/2 loaf sprouted flourless whole wheat berry bread
- 1 pkg pomegranate seeds
- 1 small bag English peas
- 1 gigantic eggplant
- 1 pkg chives
- 7 kiwis
- 1 baby watermelon
- 8 gala apples
- 7 granny smith apples

Bounty & Rules for Meat

So, my good buddy Steve and I have a Thursday ritual. We go see the revival film at The Charles Theatre, maybe go out afterward for a bit, then dumpster. On one such evening, we went out to a friend's DJ night, danced our booties off (Johnny Blaze is an amazing Baltimore Club DJ in case anyone was wondering), then headed home to the dumpster once the party had shut down. We arrived to Trader Joe's around 2:30am. Unfortunately, the dumpster was already emptied by the trash men. This confirmed earlier suspicions that this particular TJ's dumpster is usually emptied by a private contractor around 12:30 or 1am. So, we made our way over to Food Lion.

The pickin's were unfortunately slim, especially in terms of produce. It was obviously a meat and dairy garbage day, as there were animal fat trimmings interspersed with other boxes and produce. It was pretty gross. I actually DIVED head-first in the dumpster in order to reach some yogurts, which I slightly regretted later. It was too dark to take a picture, but I'm sure I looked really weird.

In winter you don't have to be as worried about meat, dairy, and fish going bad. Generally dairy won't spoil until a week after its sell by date, so if you eat it quickly it's still fine. Meat is a little harder to tell - I have a multi-pronged approach to telling if meat and fish is worth taking:

1) Look at the sell by date. If it's up to a few days past the sell by, you're probably still fine.
2) Is the meat or fish discolored? How much? If it's too discolored, don't take it. If you're unsure as to how meat or fish should look, make a point of taking a tour of those sections next time you're in the grocery store instead of at its dumpster.
3) If the protein is plastic wrapped (it usually is), is it puckered out like it's about to burst? If it is, that means it's probably not good.
4) What does it smell like? Does it smell rotten? If it's fish, does it smell incredibly fishy? If so, then it's probably too old.
5) Is it summer? If so, don't take fish EVER and meat and dairy rarely unless it's still frozen or cold to the touch (you can be a little more lax with cheese and eggs since they can be stored at room temperature anyway). Even if it's winter, the touch-test is a good one. If it's room temperature or warmer, it's a no-go.

It's always better with meat, dairy, and fish to err on the side of caution. If you have even a slight doubt in your mind as to the edibility of what you're looking at, DON'T eat it! I've never gotten sick off of dumpstered food, and I don't plan to.

Steve ended up with a little more food than I did (including an avocado, more dairy, and some brownies), but I was pretty happy with what I got:

1/26/12:
- 1 small pkg Greek 2x protein strawberry yogurt
- 1 lb chicken gizzards & hearts
- 1 lb grilling salmon
- 5 white mushrooms
- 1 plantain
- 1 pkg strawberries
- 1 can biscuits
- 1 roll pork breakfast sausage

January Bounty

So, I'm trying to "shop" more frequently at the dumpster, but not take quite as much as usual. On Sunday 1/15/12, I went with my usual dumpstering partner (Steve) to two spots, both briefly (especially since some police cars were chilling out at the Royal Farms pretty much in sight of both locations).

Here's what I came out with (Steve's bounty included the same but with the addition of broccoli and more fruit):

- 5 medium eggplants
- 1/2 pkg white mushrooms (whole)
- 1 pkg white mushrooms (sliced)
- 3 Belgian endives
- 2 green bell peppers
- 2 pears
- 6 potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 very large cucumber
- 2 large bunches kale
- 1 red onion
- 1 bunch radishes
- 2 kiwis
- 1/2 pkg apricots (fresh)
- 1 bouquet of flowers
- 1/2 pkg strawberries

October Bounty

First of all, sorry for the big gap in postings - I was on vacation (yes it was fun).

On a whim, I decided to stop by the Trader Joe's and Food Lion dumpsters on a Friday back-to-back. I went later than the last time, since my run-in at Trader Joe's with the large, angry pit bull lady had kept me away for a while, leaving only the poorer quality of the Food Lion dumpster for the last month or so (which had NOT been cutting it).

Trader Joe's and Food Lion are on two completely different ends of the dumpster spectrum. Trader Joe's employees (sometimes) care, but their dumpster is immaculate and easy to sift through, with high-quality food. Food Lion doesn't even notice when I'm dumpstering in broad daylight, and when the employees do see me, they say nothing because they all aren't paid well enough to care. Unfortunately, the dumpster is a disaster: no bags, boxes of random gross butchered fat, it smells like death, and the produce is often very sad (on the shelf or off).

Regardless, the dumpster provides, so I can't really complain. I just have to be extra careful about food safety with stuff from the Food Lion dumpster. I ended up sharing my plunder with my friend Stephen, but here's what I came out with:

10/21/11

- 3 large heads of broccoli
- 2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese (incidentally, the expiration date was labeled Feb. 27th, 2012 and there was no visible tear in the packaging or quality of the cheese #ftw)
- 1 white onion
- 2 red onions
- 1 package whole wheat penne pasta
- 1 avocado
- 1 bunch celery
- 7 gala apples (get ready for fall - apples are SO prevalent in the dumpster as the season continues - expect some recipes to come!)
- 2 baking potatoes
- 4 small roma tomatoes
- 2 pkgs organic raspberries
- 2 bags organic baby spring greens mix
- 1 pear
- 1 red pepper
- 1 bag organic all-purpose flour
- 12 ciabbatini dinner rolls

August Bounty and Spicy Street Cantaloupe

The other night, my friend Steve texted asking if I wanted to dumpster. He's generally a n00b, but really wants to learn the tricks of the trade. He's gone out with me once before, so the more experience he can get, the better!

Steve, my friend Keith, and I ventured out later that week to make our dumpster rounds.

We started at the Trader Joe's I normally go to. The dumpster was OVERFLOWING (like, I haven't seen it that full since Thanksgiving). It was a goldmine! We started rifling through when, to our dismay, a lady I hadn't seen before came out. She looked weathered, the years of produce-wrangling finally taking their toll.

"You can't do that."
This was contrary to what every other Trader Joe's employee at this particular branch had told me. I informed her that others had told me it was alright before and that we would not leave any sort of mess.
"No, I don't want y'all in the dumpster."
We politely packed up the precious little we had and left the TONS of discarded food behind us. I made a mental note not to dumpster as early in the evening next time (we had gone around 10:30pm, which was earlier than I normally arrive to pillage). I really hope this isn't an evening that causes them to start locking their dumpsters.

The hearts in the car were heavy as we proceeded to the next, less-bountiful Food Lion dumpster The store technically wasn't even closed yet (which some might deem reckless), but their dumpster is far enough back in the parking lot that no one notices you. The only downside of going before closing is that there isn't the usual haul of trash. The dumpster still came up with bread (an item we hadn't gotten to at Trader Joe's) and various other produce.

Hungry for more bread, we ran over to Panera, but their dumpster sadly mixed loaves in the same bag as leftover coffee, making all the good stuff spongy and gross. This isn't always the case at this dumpster, so I guess it's really a crapshoot.

Anyway, we all returned home and divided the till. In victory, we butchered the one cantaloupe we found and Keith introduced us to a recipe he'd often get from street vendors when he lived in San Fransisco:

SPICY STREET CANTALOUPE


Ingredients:
- 1 cantaloupe, cut up (small)
- Juice from 2 limes
- A blanket of cayenne pepper & salt

Mix them up. Serve. This recipe can also be used with mangoes or similarly sweet tropical fruits. Apparently, in San Fransisco, the Hispanic vendors would ask "con limon y con pimente y con sal?" Then add all the ingredients in a ziploc bag, shake up the contents, and sell it in the very bag it was prepared in. Pretty cool, huh? We enjoyed the cantaloupe on my porch, and I saved a bit for work the next day!

Items not dumpstered or donated: Cayenne pepper, salt

Also, my share of the dumpster bounty:

- 1 cantaloupe (duh)
- 1 small bag of assorted potatoes
- 3 beets
- 3 sweet potatoes
- 2 papayas
- 2 mangoes
- 1 bag baby arugula blend
- 1 bag celery
- 2 pkgs cherry heirloom tomatoes
- 9 roma tomatoes (tomatoes dived for a special project!)
- 1 pkg mushrooms
- 1 pkg strawberries
- 1 lemon
- 1 kiwi
- 4 limes
- 1 squash
- 3 zucchini
- 1 eggplant
- 1 yellow bell pepper
- 4 bananas (frozen immediately)
- 1 loaf honey wheat bread (frozen immediately)
- 1 pkg roasted and cut turkey breast (frozen)
- 6 pkgs cherries (one given away to my Stepmom)

More May Bounty in a New Spot

So, in a fit of staying up all night with two friends, Sean and Stephen, there was much dumpstering to be had!

Sean and Stephen came over after they had hit a Panera and a Dunkin' Donuts already, looking for some help with finding a spot to dumpster for groceries. At this point, it was already almost dawn, but I grabbed my head lamp anyhow.

We started by heading over to Trader Joe's. Much to our chagrin, the dumpster was completely empty (and I had learned a valuable lesson about my Trader Joe's trash pick-up time).

On the way back to my house is a Food Lion, which I had never dumpstered at before, so I figured we could give it a try in case the dumpsters were still full there.

AND OH BOY WERE THEY FULL!

It was a sea of bananas, boxes, and produce! I found a full box of meat and fish right off the bat, which was still cold, but I didn't want to try my luck on any of it. I think it still would have been PERFECT if we'd shown up closer to when they threw it out- another valuable lesson learned. The Trader Joe's in my town doesn't stock much meat, so I barely dumpster any there. It's exciting to have found a place that stocks more.

The quality of the produce wasn't as good as Trader Joe's, but the variety was pretty bangin'.

Sean and Stephen walked away with about a full grocery bag each of produce including spinach, potatoes, apples, etc. The list below is what I ended up with.

5/30/11 BOUNTY:

- 1 pkg shitake mushrooms (mostly bad, but I salvaged a few good ones)
- 1 pkg sliced baby portabella mushrooms
- 2 portabella mushroom tops
- 2 squash (unsure of the type - both pretty small)
- 1 Del Monte Vegetable Tray w/ dip (including broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, & celery)
- 1 bag cauliflower (not in the best shape, but not bad either)
- 1 bag collard greens
- 1 pkg romaine lettuce
- 2 bunches of bananas (all but 2 bananas frozen for smoothies)
- 3 oranges
- 3 apples
- 1 lime

I feel like we could have come away with more, but the dumpsters weren't very well organized - instead of the neat bags that Trader Joe's uses, it was kind of a mess. There was also a pretty large margin between the good and bad produce. I'll be curious to try out this new dumpster again closer to closing time so that I can get still-frozen meat. I'm reticent to dumpster at Food Lion regularly because they close at midnight. That means I'd have to purposely stay awake to dumpster, whereas Trader Joe's closes at 9 and I can go right away on my way home from work...I may have to make a point of staying awake for the possibility of meat, though!

Next time...