Guest Post: Free Groceries

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This post is from someone who wishes to remain anonymous.  I get it..  What she’s suggesting is something a large portion of the human race will be completely uncomfortable with.  There’s a huge stigma attached.  But, after learning about this phenomenon, I have to admit that my curiosity has been piqued.  Without further adieu, on to our guest poster…

Dumpster diving.  I distinctly remember my dad telling me that that is what I would have to do one day if I did not take my school work seriously.  Never did I think that I would do this as a professional, voluntarily..  Why?  Because so much perfectly good food is thrown away at the end of the work day, and I would hate for it to go to waste.  AND, dumpster diving is perfectly legal.  Here is my chronicle of my latest “dive”.  And yes, we found beer…  And a still-frozen ham.. All kind of insane.

Go with a friend.  You’ll need to bring someone you can talk in to actually going in to the dumpster… Just kidding.. You can still find plenty of good things without going in.  But, you will need someone to hold a flashlight.

Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty.  Dumpsters, while not as disgusting as you might think, aren’t always the cleanest.  Wear clothes that you don’t mind getting dirty, and wash them in hot water with vinegar the minute you get home.

Bring Clorox Wipes and a Flashlight.  There was an exploded bottle of teriyaki sauce in the dumpster when we were digging, which makes for a very sticky situation.  It is also near-impossible to see at night without a flashlight, unless you’re in Alaska…  Come prepared.

Go an hour after the store closes.  That way, it’s unlikely to run in to store employees, and the cold food is still cold in the dumpster.

Look in everything in the dumpster.  Produce is typically in boxes.  Granola bars were in trash bags.  Wee fortunately did not run in to any bathroom trash, but be aware that it might be in there, and be careful.

Be patient: We were digging for a good 45 minutes to an hour, and definitely did not exhaust everything in the dumpster.. Plenty was still in there.

When you get home, wipe down EVERYTHING with Clorox wipes.  And I mean everything that was external, even fruit.  Wash the fruit again with apple cider vinegar and water to remove the bleach.

Chop and freeze!  Odds are the produce you salvaged only has a day or two left in it’s life before it rots.  After you’ve scrubbed it down, chop it up, put it in a baggie and freeze it.  Here is what I did with the bell peppers I found:

Get creative!  We found some flowers in the dumpster, so my friend make this beauty:

 

OK, there you have it.  I would like to thank my anonymous poster, who goes by the alias Anne Grabowski.  Thanks for the diving tips!