urbanforager Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hi there! I've been lurking for a while now -- I think I discovered this wonderful site in, ooh, late spring or early summer of this year. I visit several times a week, but it was the post on "what wild-foods options are within a five-mile radius of your home" that prompted me to actually register! I'm hoping to get another forager's opinion on a certain wild food, but I'll save that for another post. I've been interested in preparation since, oh, about July 1999. DH and I are proud members of Zombie Squad, another preparedness group. I'm intensely frugal by nature and by upbringing. And with the current world situations, I think it's more important than ever. I made DH teach me how to ride a motorcycle last summer when gas prices started getting so ridiculous, and I commute to work whenever it's above 35 degrees. I started prepping in earnest about two years ago. My Christmas present to DH that year (since we had no money for much else) was the revelation that the closet in the office had been slowly being filled with canned goods over the previous months! My preps have paid off -- DH lost his job in February of this year, and there's nothing on the horizon yet. Luckily, I've been at my two jobs for eleven years. (Full time librarian, part time art model during the school year.) So here's me in a nutshell: I cook, and I LOVE to bake. My specialty is breads, and I can also cook over a campfire. (I lurves mah Dutch oven!) I hunt deer with a shotgun, and I'm planning on hunting with a bow this year. (One of my personal points of pride is that a couple of years ago, I bought a box of five shotgun shells. I've gotten three deer, and I have two shells left out of that box.) I have a tiny yard that is mostly garden. I love to can, and I also make wines, cheese, and cordials. I'm Mom to two friendly dogs, and three standoffish cats. I'm keenly interested in wild food foraging, and foraging for medicinal herbs as well. (Neither DH nor I have any health problems, thanks be, but I do enjoy making ointments and teas and such.) I'm a writer, and I'm hopelessly addicted to books. And here's one more little secret: I'm one of those people that horrified Shurleen -- sorry hon! Yes, I'm a Dumpster diver. (I prefer to call it "urban foraging"; hence my screen name.) I'm just appalled at the volume of food that gets thrown out in this country. I can't abide waste. (Sometime, I'll post a list of all the food I've frozen or canned that I rescued from D-mart. ) Oh, and I'm also fluent in LOL-speak. (I don't watch a whole lot of TV -- can you tell?) So anyways, that's me. I'm super happy to have found this group, and I know I'm going to enjoy being able to interact with you all now! Link to comment
westbrook Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 hello! I dumpster dive! thrift store shop and freecycle! I spent a lot of time wandering my yard and researching all the plants in it. I can eat all of the greens, mushrooms I stay away from.. I will continue to purchase and dehydrate those. if I want to hunt I go to my back yard... ROFL! you are not alone! Welcome and glad you joined and I look forward to you sharing with the rest of us too! Link to comment
Bealadybug Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 I don't know if you all have a BJ's out where you are (kind of like sams club and costco). When I go by there I have salvaged many things. A canopy with screen for the back yard, two picnic tables, tons of storage shelving units (commercial grade), metal caster wheels that I have attached to my kitchen island to make it transportable, I think after a certain amount of time they pitch the floor models and I am right there when they do. There is no shame in saving something from the dump if it is still usable. Don't think I would eat out of eht dumpster though, I think they do stuff to the food, plus Im weird about that anyway. But I have swiped day old bread to feed to the pigs. They haven't gotten sick yet. You gotta do what you gotta do. Glad to have you here. Buggs Link to comment
WormGuy Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Welcome to the family!! John Link to comment
Stephanie Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hi Urbanforager!! So glad to have you among us!! Link to comment
Mother Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Welcome to Mrs. S from another Illinois member. I'm from the northwest portion of the state. I'll be looking forward to all your posts. It seems we have similar interests. Link to comment
cootie Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Hello from Illinois as well! Welcome! Link to comment
urbanforager Posted October 3, 2008 Author Share Posted October 3, 2008 Oh, thank you all so much for your welcoming hugs. I do feel as though I know you all already, but it's so nice to have that friendliness confirmed! And westbrook, big squishy thanks to you for hopping right in and saying hi to a fellow diver! That really made me feel loads better. I ran right out and told DH that I had signed up here yesterday, and had already "met" some kindred spirits! Boy, I'm going to enjoy it here! Link to comment
westbrook Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 nothing wrong with diving! do you know you can feed hogs with what you find in there? all the food that they can't sell!! goes into the dumpster... feeds hogs! some good stuff in there to feed human too! I have a couple of stores that are my favorites.. I use the back of my truck to stand in and do have a ladder to use if it is low on the inside. Have Dumpster Diving clothes too! do you? Link to comment
cookiejar Posted October 3, 2008 Share Posted October 3, 2008 Originally Posted By: westbrook nothing wrong with diving! do you know you can feed hogs with what you find in there? all the food that they can't sell!! goes into the dumpster... feeds hogs! some good stuff in there to feed human too! I have a couple of stores that are my favorites.. I use the back of my truck to stand in and do have a ladder to use if it is low on the inside. Have Dumpster Diving clothes too! do you? (Blink blink) This entire conversation has *visual impact* I believe Dumpster diving attire might just make it onto the "If homeland Security is watching list" (See Humor Me ) to the bunch! Link to comment
KallieKat Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Welcome Urbanforager! Cool...I have "diving attire " too! I can't wear one of my usual dresses or I'd have my bum in the air for all the world to see! Link to comment
Becca_Anne Posted October 4, 2008 Share Posted October 4, 2008 Welcome! Glad to have you jumping right in Link to comment
urbanforager Posted October 4, 2008 Author Share Posted October 4, 2008 Originally Posted By: westbrook nothing wrong with diving! do you know you can feed hogs with what you find in there? all the food that they can't sell!! goes into the dumpster... feeds hogs! some good stuff in there to feed human too! I have a couple of stores that are my favorites.. I use the back of my truck to stand in and do have a ladder to use if it is low on the inside. Have Dumpster Diving clothes too! do you? Don't have any clothes, but I do have a really nice pair of flat sandals I rescued from the Goodwill dumpster, of all places. I wore them until the heels disintegrated, then had the heels redone at a little shop down the street from the library where I work, run by an Asian couple. Cost me all of four bucks. And I go foraging mostly for us, but I have fed the dogs out of the bin too! I make "dog soup" with rice and veggies to pour over their food to stretch it. They LOVE their momma! Link to comment
HSmom Posted October 6, 2008 Share Posted October 6, 2008 I just LOOOOOVE the "shiny" in your avatar! You sound like you'll be a great addition to our bunch. I'm glad you came out of lurkdom. I've never DD'd, but I would if presented with the opportunity. I am the Thrift Store Queen. My "treasure" this week is a nebulizer machine (for asthma-available only by prescription) for $5. Currently, my mom, daughter & I all share one. I wish I hunted, but I don't. I have butchered. I garden, can, have chickens, and so on. Link to comment
urbanforager Posted October 10, 2008 Author Share Posted October 10, 2008 Thanks HS mom! I chose that avatar from the ones on file here. Saw the .45 and the shiny and HAD to have it! And my DH loves your tagline! Everyone has been just so great here. I too am glad that I came out of "lurkdom", as you put it! Link to comment
michelle Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 welcome! I lurked here for a while before I joined too. This is a great site full of many wonderful, helpful people. Ask anything you want if we don't know the answer we'll help find it. Welcome again! Link to comment
Snowmom Posted October 20, 2008 Share Posted October 20, 2008 and I have no idea how I missed your post, but, am saying now to you and anyone else I have missed lately. Link to comment
zzelle Posted October 25, 2008 Share Posted October 25, 2008 welcome glad to have ya with us Link to comment
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