I Eat from the Dumpster

I`ve revealed my dumpster diving activities to you in the past and now I want to divulge what I`ve been up to and what I`ve found in Montreal`s waste land… Yogurt. Woah. And not just any kind of blah yogurt – Astro yogurt, Greek yogurt (and Meditteranean yogurt which is just as amazing but not fat free), organic yogurt, and cottage cheeeeese (for cheesecake, of course!).

So obviously, since the past few weeks of yogurt frenzy, I`ve gone off the vegan bandwagon and am back on the vegetarian one for now. It`s unbelievable how much yogurt I`ve found in Montreal`s dumpsters. Where exactly? Well, I can`t tell you THAT =P. Some of the yogurt I find hasn`t even passed its due date, while others are a couple of weeks past due date, but they all taste fine – I`ve eaten yogurt that was two Months past due date and they tasted fine, And I didn`t get sick =P. Since my recent love development with Greek yogurt I was more than happy to find all kinds of tasty flavors of them waiting to be given a second chance. Xavier himself is a big fan of yogurt so we have no trouble keeping the quantity down. Well, kinda. Actually, the yogurt`s been taking over the fridge… But then I thought of something – Frozen yogurt and sherberts! So I dedicated two entire days to making sherberts and frozen yogurts… A whole post on that to come soon!

Here`s a load of treasure Xavier came back with one night. We needed bananas, well, we got èm! The organic lettuce, the spinach, the whole wheat pitas and the chives were the cream of the crop this time (and the loner onion since we had none left!). It`s so funny to think how Xavier reacted the first time I told him about my dumpster diving activities. He was tactful about it and eventually said he would even come with me one day, but he said he wouldn`t eat anything that we got. Now I`ve got him going on his own and eating to his heart`s delight! Muahahaha!

Along with his bounty was a Giant red bell pepper. It would have been perfect for turning into a stuffed pepper but the bottom was badly bruised. Upon cutting it open we noticed a bunch of interesting mold… It happens. But it`s not like the whole giant fruit (yes, fruit) was a loss.

We were able to save most of it, and what was saved was wonderfully fresh and great tasting. And to contrast the intriguing mold was this beautiful little thing growing inside.

How could someone throw out such a beauty as she??

Another little load retrieved from the dumpster. My other roommate thinks me peculiar for various reasons and often jokes around about my dumpster diving. He`s scared to eat my goods, but sometimes he does!

Besides my roommate`s condiments and milk and besides a few food gifts, almost everything in the fridge and freezer was dumpstered. Yogurt, bread, bagels, pies, yogurt, mayonnaise, greek salad, and a bunch of vegetables. (Don`t mind the nasty rust stains, the fridge has some serious issues…) I had to take a picture because it felt so good to have so much food in the fridge again!

Another thing that`s special about dumpster diving is that you can come across all kinds of things you normally wouldn`t buy, so you get to try new things (like mangosteens and pitaya!) and challenge yourself with new ways of using certain ingredients. This exotic fella was most likely thrown out because of the little bruise on its side. I don`t even remember the name of these things but they`re a rollercoaster ride in your mouth!

But not just the fridge, the cupboards too! It`s not all dumpstered stuff of course, but some of it is, like applesauce, peanut butter, flour, walnuts, dates, dried cranberries, crackers, organic soups and some canned goods – Most of these were retreived the same day as the mother of all treasure loads we god. Xavier and I have literally taken over the kitchen – The cupboards are All ours, and 3/4 of the fridge is ours. We spend most of our time in the kitchen but at least we clean up after ourselves efficiently too.

Of course, it`s not easy. I stress, to various degrees, every time I go dumpster diving, worried I`ll get caught. I`ve never gotten into real trouble before and a lot of employees that have caught me don`t mind, but still. With winter here, it`s unpleasant to go in search of food in the cold, and it`s especially unpleasant to go scouting, but the bright side to the cold is that it keeps the food from spoiling quickly. The ride back home is a sweaty one in the metro, and once home I can`t just relax – I have to wash all of my little treasures, and then find space for them. I usually soak my produce in vinegar water and rebag my other foods in clean bags and containers, usually slicing and freezing most of the bread. Quite a lot of effort in the end but it`s alllll worth it. I`ve saved a lot of money dumpster diving and I`ve saved a lot of good food from being wasted. A LOT. Long live Freeganism.

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