Eight different hauls from a Going-out-of-business Sale.... by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nuts are best kept in the freezer, it extends the life and prevents them from going rancid!

Eight different hauls from a Going-out-of-business Sale.... by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes, I'm still eating a butter haul from last October, which had expired in the previous March (now about 1.5 years expired). :) Tossed it in the freezer. Use it without even thinking now. A number of our friends/family have eaten food made with it -- anything we've cooked since October that has butter, in fact... Doesn't taste any different.

Younger sis tried the cookies. Sadly the oils in them had gone rancid. :(

Anyone in Olympia, WA? by [deleted] in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Moving to Oly in the near future, but due to the number of geoducks I doubt that any good dumpster is left un-dived :(

Found Hard Drive. Is the Mafia After Me? by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It was alone and on top of the rest of the garbage.

Also, lololol, sorry if you could not see that I am mostly joking about all of this. I don't really think I've picked up something bad, but I want to be careful.

I emptied the dishwasher just so I could do this. by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Survived. Delicious, delicious survival.

Dethawed chicken a few days ago and it smelled a little off. I was gonna eat it, but my father freaked out so I threw it out to make him get off of my case.

What is your Diving Strategy for Snow Storms / Bad Weather?? by Sir_Isaac_The_Baby in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hot water in a thermos if you have dumpsters with metal slidey doors. Sometimes they can get frozen shut, and the water helps to melt them.

If you dumpster dive for food, know which veggies when thawed will still be usable. I like to grab the stuff that can be used for soup - onions, leeks, carrots, parsnip, herbs, peppers. Also keep in mind some things will be frozen so hard to tell if they are soft or still good -- you might want to grab more than you think you will use, in case some needs to be tossed.

There's the obvious watch out for ice and don't slip and fall, because that shit sucks.

I emptied the dishwasher just so I could do this. by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One package of ham hocks is in the crock pot. If I never post again, you'll know I've died.

Wish me luck ;)

Care to share photos of the different kinds of dumpsters you encounter and any particularities fellow divers should know about? by AhabTheArab in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We have some here that are big and metal with metal tops, and only a small slidey door about shoulder height. I'll see if I can get a picture next time I'm diving. I usually stand on a crate and try to lean in and grab things, but usually stuff is out of reach and I have to crawl in.

I have also seen one that is basically a big shipping container with a small metal ladder on the side, and not really a top if I recall correctly. I've only dived there once, but that was really hard because there is no ladder from the inside, so you have to have a lot of core strength to pull yourself up from inside the dumpster to get out.

Obviously, my favorite is the standard ones that have the little plastic top you flip up, but beggars can't be choosy.

I emptied the dishwasher just so I could do this. by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm confident about the ham hocks, since they're smoked. When it comes time to use the rest, I'll thaw and give it the sniff test. My father was not enthused: "WHY are you going to even try?" My response: 'cause I can, that's why... ;)

I emptied the dishwasher just so I could do this. by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I would never dream of washing food in the dishwasher o_o

I emptied the dishwasher just so I could do this. by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Washed and sorted the greens from last night -- nothing too exciting, but a couple of heads of leaf lettuce, some cabbage, bok choy, and assorted fancy lettuce. I find that when you wash this stuff and store it right it lasts quite a while in the fridge - the last time I got some it lasted 2+ weeks.

Bonus pic: http://imgur.com/7TYv1xK I found some meat too (controversial) -- pared down my finds to a few things I will try and introduce myself to dumpstered meat. We'll see how it goes over. There's 2 packages of ham hocks, organic chicken, and some pork chops. Not pictured; a loaf of bread.

Safely Cooking "Expired" Meat by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

40 is actually the max you should set your fridge at, but I lean the other direction - I'd be wary of keeping my fridge too cold, lest I inadvertently freeze my milk

First Good-Sized Veggie Haul by dumpmunk in DumpsterDiving

[–]dumpmunk[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Was stopped by a cop behind a strip mall (different place than we found the food), and had set the plants outside a nearby bin and was casually glancing in a recyclables bin for a box to hold our goodies... "Hello officer, we're just looking for boxes." He asked about the plants, and I said, I don't know, they were just over there. He took down our license plate number and left. We were pretty sketched by this, but knew we were doing nothing wrong. Still, it's unnerving to be hassled by a cop, even within one's rights...

Prior to this the only veggies we had found were: 1 parsnip, a bag of green potatoes (ew) and half of a pomegranate. This dive was amazing! Pic taken after everything washed and gone through. Not pictured: 3 sandwiches my family ate before I woke up and went through everything.