I’m thinking about breaking up with Mr. Produce Guy.
This was the 4th week in a row I have received boxes of “chicken scraps” that have been mostly, well, scraps. Gone are the days of finding ridiculous amounts of fresh fruit and veggies. Freezing quarts and quarts of fresh strawberries, heaping bowls of mushrooms, tropical fruit and corn is now a thing of the past.
These days it seems like a lot of work to pick up the boxes and sort through them to find a few gems. Maybe I’m being greedy, maybe I’m just tired, or maybe it’s true, people do buy less produce in the winter time.
Maybe folks actually load up on root crops, potatoes and apples instead of shelling out big bucks for out of season produce shipped in from Mexico and Florida.
Maybe there is hope for us after all.
What do you think? Is it time to put this free produce romance on the back burner?
~Mavis
Would you like to see what else we have brought home over the past 7 months?
Head on over HERE to read all the past stories and to see all the pictures.
The Produce Bible By Leanne Kitchen ~ Available on Amazon.com
Celebrating the explosion of interest in locally grown and hand-picked produce, this comprehensive volume features 200 recipes that bring out the special qualities of each ingredient, from tender spring peas to earthy autumnal tubers. In addition, the book is filled with practical advice on how to choose, store, and prepare fresh produce, as well as basic cooking techniques, nutritional information, and suggestions for companion foods.
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Brandi says
I think they’re free, so anything you get is a bonus.
They’re supposed to be chicken scraps, so if all you get is chicken scraps, you’re still ahead of the game.
I would be delighted to get chicken scraps for free, so if you guys “break up,” I’d love to “steal your man.” 😉
michelle guilmet-buck says
Agreed. My chickens would be on cloud nine with all that yum! Think about the chickens! It is feeding your girls for free, after all.
Susan Robinson says
Maybe he reads your blog and didn’t want you to get free produce. If so, he’s a meanie!
Lisa says
I think there are more salvageable fruits & veggies in that box than you realize. Many times the outside of the fruit looks terrible, but when you cut it open it’s perfectly fine on the inside. For those types of fruits I slice them up and freeze them for smoothies or dry them. Same thing with the no so perfect grapes. Freeze them for snacks or for in smoothies. I would have gladly taken the boxes of produce in the photo. If you do “break-up” with the produce guy, I would take a friend along with you and introduce them to the produce guy. They might just hit it off!
Sara says
My produce department has been really bad. First not allowed to pick up scrapes they sell as second day. Whatever the apples have been all brused up and the rest of their 2nd day would not be fit to eat. I would not screw up a good thing you have just remember spring is right around the corner. Then you will be up to your eye balls in melons and strawberry’s again
Misty Hill says
I think I would hang on to him 🙂
Cindi Myers says
Your chickens are going to love those scraps this winter — and I bet things pick up again in the spring.
JJ Ordway says
Chicken still gotta eat! Plus, you can always dumpster dive the local farmer’s markets too!
Amanda says
Hang on, citrus season is coming!
Mary Ann says
Even if you just pick them up and feed it all to the chickens without going through it you’re way ahead! The chickens still need to eat and they’ll be happy for the produce all winter long.
It can’t be too much work just to drive over and pick it up knowing it will just be chicken scraps for a while, can it?
Desi says
I’d hang on to them. The chickens will be all the better for it.
Maybe it isn’t that people buy less produce in the winter, maybe they buy more, since they aren’t getting it from their gardens or produce stands. So maybe the store is selling more and less is available for the scrap boxes. Best of luck Mavis!
Anne says
Mavis,
I agree with most of the previous comments. You are better off than you may think. I live on the Eastside (of Lake Washington.) There are 12 grocery stores within 5 miles of my house. None of them will give food scraps to customers. They claim that everything goes to the local food bank. This is awesome, but I still see a lot of produce scraps in their dumpsters that don’t make the food bank cut. My chickens would eat them in a heartbeat. I haven’t gotten up the nerve to go dumpster diving yet..
It’s T’giving time. Count your blessings. Hang on to your produce guy.
~Anne
Dottie says
I am guessing the reverse is true, people are buying MORE imports as winter arrives, not less, so you get left with slim pickings. Stands to reason there is more abundance when there is… well, more abundance. Our fresh food consumption becomes roots & winter squash , cole, winter greens & sprouts, storage apples and otherwise the dried/preserved goods from the pantry.
But those produce leavings look like eggs to me, and with the price of poultry food these days…
Vicki S says
I personally would still pick up the boxes. Like the others have mentioned, I cannot get reclaimed boxes here either. What is available during this time of year is pretty piddly-poor but you can still salvage some things. I would do this until spring and then make a decision as to drop the produce guy for another tasty morsel *)*
Hold Fast.
Elizabeth says
Well the point was to save the food from going into the garbage, I thought. You are asking him for scraps for the animals, after all. Using what is salvageable is just a bonus. As my mother always said “beggers can’t he choosers”.
Teresa Yb. says
I say keep him. My husband tried to hook-up with our produce guy to no avail. The assistant was all for it and even gave us a small box of stuff (we were able to eat 4 pears and the rest went to the chickens). She said he had to come back and talk to the manager. The manager says they won’t give out scraps even though the assistant made it sound promising. Keep your good thing going.
Preppy Pink Crocodile says
I would totally hang on. You are still getting free food for the chickens. And like everything, there is a season. Citrus in winter and then berries again next summer. The amount of food you got from free from him was crazy. Hang on to something good even if you are in a less than exciting season right now.
KK
Carol says
Stick with your man! Dating is so difficult these days. So many won’t “put out” the goods at all. At least you have someone to meet on a weekly basis! And yes – think about the children… I mean chickens!
Kallie says
It’s like any other investment, you have to look at cost vs benefit. When the benefit is no longer equal to the cost and time invested, it’s time to stop doing it. If you are making a special trip just to get these boxes and they are only going to be used for chicken feed, it may no longer be worth your gas and time. I wouldn’t discount the benefit of chicken feed, I am doing extensive yard work and my hens aren’t able to forage in the yard as much as they used to and their feed intake has about doubled.
Elaine Standley says
I’d keep him! I have asked 4 different places and received “no” at all of them. If your chickens are happy, it is all good. Any reclaimable food you get is just a bonus.
Helen in Meridian says
This seems like a one sided relationship… with him giving all the time and you taking. What have you done for him? Maybe you need to get him some wonderful cookware or bakeware with your Amazon hook ups. Start gifting him, and thanking him profusely. You sound like an in-grate; all take and no give.
Mavis says
Ha! I have brought him homemade cookies, homemade cake, and even homemade jam, so there! And, I ALWAYS thank him. 🙂 Love you Helen!
Lissa says
I think you should stick it out. If you’re making a trip into town just for that day, maybe try switching the day or time you go to coincide with other errands. But definitely stick with it, if only for the chickens! Also, didn’t you say you had to talk him into this as other people had flaked out in the past? Not that you are flaking out, it’s been 8 months after all, but still. He would probably be less willing to let others pick up produce if you abandon him.
It’s been quieter in my boxes that last month or so too, I think it’s all part of the season. I am just excited for what I get. (except for lettuce…..dear god so much lettuce!) Also, I think I deem reclaimable a lot more than you do. I have a very loose definition of salvageable and it seems like you have had the lucky problem of getting used to having a lot of exceptionally good conditioned stuff in your boxes. I have no problem cutting off bruised or soft spots.
This week:
2 HUGE heads romaine (salad)
1 bunch celery (snacking + stock)
2 bunches parsley (dried)
1 red bell pepper (snacking)
1 apple (snacking)
4 roma tomatoes (dried for salads)
2lbs strawberries (snacking)
about 25 ounces (3 bags?) of spinach (salads, spicey barley dish, mixed in omelets, and I will probably freeze some)
Sheila Smith says
Stick with him. He may decide it’s to much bother to resume at another time. It is chicken scraps after all. You have just been fortunate to glean a ton of stuff for yourself previously. I wouldn’t quit if you still have the time to do it. Understand it will cost you more in chicken feed maybe than the fuel to pick up the scraps?
Jennifer says
Good gravy woman, you’ve got a great man there- hold onto him! I truly think that it is the season. People are probably thinking more of turkeys, stuffing and green bean casserole than fresh produce. Maybe it will pick up after the first of the year when people have made their weight loss/eat healthy resolutions. Vive FREE produce!
heidi says
i agree with past posts, you are being greedy.
Grace says
It’s valuable as compost too! So really, just think of it as ground prep for next summer’s bounty! And… you may score a few free tomatoes during the cold months.
Melissa says
Hi Mavis. Did you ever think of bartering them? I know that in the past few years feed has gone up from $11.99 up to $16.99 for a 50 lb bag (these are sale prices of store brand feed). I bet there are plenty of people who would trade a few items for a box of chicken scraps, especially those with more than a few chickens.
Denise says
It’s seasonal, Mavis, my friend. (And I’m sure you know this but you’re not supposed to give chickens citrus, or onions.) Good grief people, give her a break, don’t you have a sense of humor? I have a great produce guy who will give me stuff anytime I want it — when I have time to go! I think they are happy to see you using the food scraps in some other way than just composting it or throwing it out as they do. You’re not being greedy. You are a thrifty person who doesn’t want anything to go to waste!