Freegan Haul, Free NYC Pizza

One super nice Pizzeria, a freegan pointed out used to generously feed Occupy Wall Street Protesters.  And they basically used to in separate bags from their Garbage toss out whole packed up cooked Italian meals still hot at the end of the night just for freegans to pick up. Any ways when we went this night, it was pretty late and either we were late or other Freegans already visited there weren't any packed up italian meals.  But there was a whole bag filled with PIZZA authentic NYC pizza and fancier types.  I took about 12 slices and this will feed me for a while!  I plan on freezing some as well so I'm not eating pizza everday.

I didn't even get to the best part, they took care to put in separate shopping bag a whole bag full of still warm Garlic Knots or bread if thats what you call them!!!!!! I swear NYC Pizzeria's make the best Garlic knots ever!!!!! So on top of the pizza, I have tons of Garlic knots.  Enough to feed me for a while, seriously I really don't think I need to go Grocery Shopping for at least 2 weeks.  And the best part is I don't even have to cook either! I seriously am going to save a lot of money doing this and you have no idea how easy this was!!

Freegan Haul, Union Market

I had to post about my Last Haul on a Freegan Tour, there was 25 people and we all left with bags filled of high end foods! That night there was just so much Yogurt thrown out and I'm talking about HIGH END Stuff.  I didn't even realize till I got home that it was Goat Milk Yogurt something we don't even carry in normal supermarkets.  The Retail price is $2.99 for small little cup version of yogurt!!!!!  As you can see their all in their containers, pristine clean garbage and its freezing in NYC so essentially it was at Cold Temp the whole time it was just sitting on side walk.

I also picked up these portable Organic Yogurts from a High end Grocer in Manhattan, you do not even want to know how ridiculously expensive this sells for.  And its boxed, in pristine condition.  I can't believe that this was just going to go to the Landfills, perfectly packaged organic Yogurt! I am still trying to wrap my head around how stores can be so selfish, like who could afford this regularly to start with and why would you just throw it out!

There was also tons of this Organic boxed cookies.  Again in super clean food only bags, and its also wrapped inside as well.  I would have taken more because its sad to say that even with 25 people on the tour, we still had a bunch left over.  I can literally see how this is a food rescue mission, what we can't take gets tossed in a landfill!!

Again perfectly packaged Spinach Ravioli, this is going to be dinner one night!  This is all from just one store, can you imagine combined with 25 people and I took conservatively... how much food was just tossed in one night.  And its clean and high end food just thrown out when Bowery Homeless just nearby.  How lazy and wasteful can these stores be??

The total retail cost estimate of my Haul from this one store is over $55 !!!!  And being realistic, I would never have access to buy this High end food and because I went on this Food Rescue tour, I am going to eat better than when I actually BUY food and all for free!

Freegan Breakfast courtesy of Le Pain Quotidien

It's official, I am so totally becoming a freegan I went on a another tour and I'm in complete awe!!!! I get why now some Freegan's will say they eat better than most people because NYC is unique in its high end food sources.  

I got the above from Le Pain Quotidien a high end organic NYC bakery chain.  Where muffins and crossiants run from $3.50 to $3.95 each!! It's just crazy they throw out bags of fresh in some cases it was still warm pastries and bread all neat in clear bags filled with just food!!!

The dark muffin was filled with Dates inside, so delish and healthy and completely out of my budget.

I would have gotten more because they literally had whole loaves of organic bread, at least 2 huge clear garbage bags full but I just literally didn't have any more bags to fill up.  And for those of you who think its gross, everything was clean and they separated the food from their normal garbage.  

This one run, literally supplied me with a weeks worth of amazing breakfast and all for FREE!  Honestly, this is better than Couponing even!!!

I really think I am going to keep doing this, I know for sure now that I am never ever going to buy Bread again!!! I didn't even touch the bounty of breads at Panera.  I'm super excited because this is going to save me a lot of money. And it was only my Second tour with the group!