Waste Not, Want Not

My Treasures

Most folks today are quite happy getting all their eats from grocery stores and maybe a local farm or two. But there are ways to get some real, tasty food at no or very little cost. I call them my “treasures found”.

What are these ‘treasures’? As you go about your daily routines and activities, you’ve probably run across them many times; you just didn’t recognize them.
Ever driven down your normal routes and noticed a tree whose limbs are bending over with ripening fruit – apples, pears, peaches, plums? Every day you pass by and no one ever seems to pick the fruit at all. It simply matures until it falls and lays on the ground, rotting. Seems like such a terrible waste!

This year, I decided that I would stop at one of those houses and ask if I could harvest the fruit myself. God’s Word says, “You have not because you ask not”…, so I decided I’d overcome the fear of rejection (after all, what can they say but ‘no’?). I rode by the house several times, but there never appeared to be anyone at home. Finally, I saw a car in the driveway and pulled up next to it.

I was greeted by a scrappy little rat terrier who immediately accepted my hand of friendship. His owner, a man who looked to be in his late forties, walked up and extended his hand in greeting. I gave him my name, told him that I lived nearby and had noticed his apple tree was loaded. Further, I told him that I’d noticed every season that the apples went unharvested (is that a word?), and asked if he minded if I picked them. He was very amenable to my request. I told him I would pick up the rotten apples to keep his immaculate lawn clean, and would be happy to share the finished product – canned apples, applesauce, etc. He gave me permission to pick any time, even if he wasn’t home. I had intended to pick them sometime last week, but the weather was just too darn hot, with humidity that was just short of taking a hot shower. So I put it off, hoping to get a cooler day. That day was today.

I took two hand baskets, the kind you use in the grocery, and my extended ‘grabber’ that Bobby bought me to retrieve things in my high cabinets. I thought it might come in handy to reach the big fruit that might be just out of my range.

It only took me about 30 minutes to fill one basket with beautiful, blemish-free green baking apples. I had asked the gentleman if he used any pesticides or fertilizers and he did not. So my apples are real food that are grown naturally, the way they should be. Now THAT’s a real treasure! The 2nd basket, I filled with the apples I cleaned up from the ground, knowing my chickens would love the mushy fruit.

Yesterday, my friend, Whitney, and I picked fresh figs from another friend's yard. They have three huge trees in the back, and they were full. We only picked about 5 lbs. worth, but there are many figs still not ripe, and we’ll probably pick again soon. We brought the figs home, and I made a fig tart for dessert after supper. It was delicious! Whitney remarked that we were DEFINITELY going back for more. I think she liked it!

I will be processing the apples later today, making apple pie filling, maybe some applesauce and dehydrated apples. With the 20 lbs. of apples I picked, that’s about 10 cans of regular pie filling. For a little bit of sweat, some patient peeling and paring, a bit of sugar & cinnamon, I’ve saved about $40 on store-bought pie filling and a 'taste of summer' for the colder weather.

I always get a great sense of accomplishment in canning, freezing, and dehydrating. Somehow, I feel I’ve assured that my family will have healthy, clean food in the near future – food that cost me nothing but some time and effort.

Are there treasures just waiting to be found in your neighborhood or surrounding areas? All you have to do is just keep your eyes ‘peeled’!