Shivananda Foundation for Abused Veggies (SFAV)

[Shivananda]

Friends, I know it is an emotional subject to bring up the issue of Abused Veggies, but I think this discussion is overdue. What I suggest we do, quietly, and without emotional outburst or fanfare, is to share with each other our messages of hope, inspiration, and victory in the salvation of abused veggies (and fruits, we're not prejudiced) that have crossed our paths.

OK, let me try to start the produce cart rolling by sharing how I saved 3 amazing sweet peppers from the dumpster...

Can I get an AMEN??!!?

Alright now sisters and brothers, here are the facts. I saw the three of them huddled together in a "Past Their Prime" rack near the back of the sto, and I gathered them up, and I paid the $1 ransom, and I took them home where I meant to do something wonderful with them. But then I got distracted...

A week or so later, when I realised they didn't look so wonderful as they used to was, I thought "Hmmmmm."

Then a few days later, in a moment of clarity and altruism, I snatched them away from the gang of cockroaches who were attempting to spirit them off and sliced them up, slid them into the Excaliber dehydrator and turned the dial to "Forget." When archeologists finally retrieved the very dry and crunchy shards, I popped them into my handy new Kitchen Aid 200 watt 4 oz spice grinder (aka KA coffee grinder with the removable jar, $30 at Target), as first suggested by SamadhiSoul, and ground those pepper shards into a powder,

Turns out they gave a merry blast o' color and flavor to whatever I sprinkled them on.

Case# 3026, 3 wilting peppers, another successful rescue. Case closed.

Who is next?

[lodestar]

another smile added to an already great day! thanks friend.

[vickiesltw]

Alas my cart passed 20lbs of bananas in the same past their prime spot in the store. I picked them up for 2.58.

They were used to make banana leathers. I am in love with the fruit leathers btw.

Some were frozen for ice cream and smoothies.


Lil' Brat

[vickiesltw]

I know we have been talking about keeping avocados from getting to ripe. but, when avocados are in the overripe area is there anything you can do to them.

They are really squishy.

Lil' Brat

[Shivananda]

I know we have been talking about keeping avocados from getting to ripe. but, when avocados are in the overripe area is there anything you can do to them.They are really squishy.Yes, yes, I feel your pain, I really do.

Here is what I discovered many, many years ago, while living on 2nd Avenue in Long Beach California, in a Queene Anne style house with a 23 foot mantle in the living room, and air vents to the crawl space in all the closets to allow clothes to air out properly, but only one bathroom, and a humongous avocado tree in the back yard that dropped a minimum of 8 huge avocados a day from November through March...

Mash 'em and freeze 'em. Or make them into guacamole and freeze that. Or puree them and freeze the puree. Once thawed, and stirred up slightly with a fork, they are nearly as good as new.

Can I get an Amen to that?!?

[misslinda]

AMEN AMEN !!! :)

[Shivananda]

Whoaaaaa!! MissLinda!!! What an outstanding Spring Makeover. Great new pic, great new signature. You be stylin'!

But ya know, that wonderful quote is not anonymous at all. It is by Nathaniel Peat.

Us writers, you know. we stick together. Right arm! Peace out!

[misslinda]

OMG, that is way to cool! The site I went to said Anonymous.

Thank you so much for saying so....I love that quote. I'm a fan of Henry David Thoreau as well but that quote hit me in the spot!

Muah,
;)

[PATH301]

It's to bad that avocados can't be like banana's when they get to to rip are all brownish abd black you can still eat'em!

[karenisraw]

I tried to adopt some teenage bananas but they were already adopted. I thought about the teenage mangoes but the ransome was too high. There was a huge orphanage or chilean mangoes at The Wedge (NHF store) that were past the toddler stage and I wanted to take some home with me, but again I lacked funding. Maybe I am too picky and only want the youngest ones. Oh, guess what, I am going to the free organic bus that a non-profit organization stocks with rescued produce (they donate overstock and near expiration organic produce from distributers) and I will adopt many healthy juviniles ready for a new home. They gave $1,000,000 retail value or organic produce and packed goods to new homes last year. It is for anyone who wants to rescue the little tiggers.

k
:) :)

[samadhisoul]

hey, Shiva! How do ya like the coffee grinder?

unfortunately, the stores around here THROW away the old produce :rolleyes:
they say they don't but, once I asked the guy about ripe nanas, he went and got a BOX FULL, but the ones stocked were like LIME GREEN!!
anyway, I got excited and used em up...the very next day, I asked for more and the produce manager says --weahave sold them all, bananas go so fast here, blah, blah, blah...so I'm like but there was a box full?...nah, we sold them..."no, u tossed them, pity"--haven't been back since.

sorry...that was a little rant, I was pissed--that evening's dessert was counting on those 'nanas.

[Shivananda]

hey, Shiva! How do ya like the coffee grinder?. That Kitchen Aid grinder rocks! Thanks for mentioning it. I always liked it, but heard KA had taken it off market so I didn't mention it. Guess I;ll have to rewrite the review. (Fun thing... notice it is made in India? Over there machines like this are called spice grinders. )


unfortunately, the stores around here THROW away the old produce :rolleyes: I know, it sucks, doesn't it? Here's why that happens a lot...

1) There ARE non-profit organizations in some cities that gather overripe and shortdated food from stores and restaurants and bakeries to feed the homeless and disadvantaged. It sounds like you don't have one there where you live. Want to start one? :)

2) If a store has overbought fresh produce, and it hasn't sold, they may mark it down drastically to get some revenue from it, as long as...

3) They don't undercut the sale of something else. So if the unsold bananas from last week were marked down to 10 cents a pound, they might move them out, but then you probably will not buy this week's bananas at $1 a pound.

4) And finally, if they did not accidentally overbuy, but simply accepted an unusually large shipment from a distributor who was trying to get it off THEIR hands, then it is better for the store to discard whatever does not sell, because they pay the distibuter only for the quantity sold.

[vickiesltw]

, I am going to the free organic bus that a non-profit organization stocks with rescued produce (they donate overstock and near expiration organic produce from distributers) and I will adopt many healthy juviniles ready for a new home. They gave $1,000,000 retail value or organic produce and packed goods to new homes last year. It is for anyone who wants to rescue the little tiggers.

k
:) :)

Wish we had something like that here in Tulsa Ok. How did you find out about it.

Lil' Brat

[Shivananda]

It's to bad that avocados can't be like banana's when they get to to rip are all brownish abd black you can still eat'em!But they are... you can! I only cut out the really black parts, but then I cut out the really brown parts of bananas too. Just mash the browny parts up with the greeny and yellowy parts and you won't hardly notice them.

[heabrook]

lol

This is my favorite thread.. :D

http://www.naturesgreat.com/store/files/images/misc/chili.gif

I have two terribly green bananas incubating in a brown paper bag. I hope they will respond to the intense treatment and be able to be used for lemon chewies (maraw's recipe).

[RawTruth]

Avocados with the brown threads running inside the meat? Eeewww!!! You still EAT those nasty-tasting things?

Say it ain't so!!!


p.s. An overripe avocado is a tragedy.

[karenisraw]

vickiesltw,

I found out about the bus through a man that works at Ecopolitan, a raw vegan restaraunt in Minneapolis. We were talking about how expensive organic was and he mentioned the organization to me. Apparently the produce is quite fresh still. A lady called me from there today to explain it to me more and she said sometimes you can take whole crates of stuff. Here is the link to their site.

www.sisterscamelot.org

k :)

[rawfigure]

I am into Veggie Resue...I always buy what is in the "ready to go" Bin at the HFS...buying the sad veggies no one wants. They still have life in my Juicer !

[Shivananda]

p.s. An overripe avocado is a tragedy.No, no... it's just a guacamole in need of a little lime juice and some understanding. After all this IS SFAV you know!

[aromaticwings]

hey, Shiva! How do ya like the coffee grinder?

unfortunately, the stores around here THROW away the old produce :rolleyes:
they say they don't but, once I asked the guy about ripe nanas, he went and got a BOX FULL, but the ones stocked were like LIME GREEN!!
anyway, I got excited and used em up...the very next day, I asked for more and the produce manager says --weahave sold them all, bananas go so fast here, blah, blah, blah...so I'm like but there was a box full?...nah, we sold them..."no, u tossed them, pity"--haven't been back since.

sorry...that was a little rant, I was pissed--that evening's dessert was counting on those 'nanas.
hhhmmmmm time for dumpster diving time!!... box probably was on top of their trash crying for someone to come discover them...

Unless of course your stores are like some here..and have an inside kind that sqashes everything together from the inside of the store and there is no chance to retrieve them .. They do this to stop the homeless people from getting into the trash...

[aromaticwings]

Alas my cart passed 20lbs of bananas in the same past their prime spot in the store. I picked them up for 2.58.

They were used to make banana leathers. I am in love with the fruit leathers btw.

Some were frozen for ice cream and smoothies.


Lil' Brat
So looking forward to getting fruit and veggies in this amounts...

I walked past the produce guy in the store the other day as he was tossing apples in a box.. well this sad puppy had to pass those screaming little babies because I unfortunately did not have the extra cash to get them... They only had a bruise or two on them ...would have been great in a smoothie or juice... :(

[Boysenberry]

"I'm a raw foodist!," I exclaimed to the bewildered produce guy, " I need those bananas ripe for ice cream tonight!" He did manage to muster up a couple of bunches. He said they went to the compost bin... very very sad.

[vickiesltw]

I rescued a watermelon today. Only to drop it on the sidewalk outside the front door. Have no fear, picked it up washed it off and ate a good portion.

Neighbor just about choked when I offered him some of my melon. hehehehe

Also rescued 9 avocados they were 3 for a dollar. Rock hard not even close to being bad. Store indicated no one was buying so I took them and put them in the window.

[vickiesltw]

I found out about the bus through a man that works at Ecopolitan, a raw vegan restaraunt in Minneapolis.
k :)

NOt to get totally off subject. But, we have family in Eagan and will be going up there in a comple of months. PLease tell me name and location of Raw Restaraunt I would love to go while I am there.