The Sneaky Grocery Tip That Saves Me So Much Money on Produce

published Oct 4, 2024
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Credit: Patty Catalano

When I was a kid, whenever my parents couldn’t find me it was a safe bet to check the loquat tree we had in our front yard. I’d sit in the branches, raining down pits as I devoured handfuls of the tart-peachy little fruits all season long. Or, if you couldn’t find me there, I was known for taking excess oranges off one of our trees and placing a few in each mailbox on my street — a little gift to my (hopefully non-snowbird) neighbors. 

Then somewhere along the way, I furthered myself from my Floridian foraging habit, quietly always eating fruit corralled and stickered into bags and boxes.

I wondered why, especially because a usual walking path I take in my Los Angeles neighborhood yields trees heavy with perky little tomatoes, orange-y kumquats, my beloved loquats (!!!), lemons, mangoes, and figs (I call it my “fruit salad walk”). What was I going to the grocery store for, anyways? All spring long, I filled my fanny pack with branches of kumquats; summer brought me wild blackberry-dyed fingers; and on one such walk recently, a fig tree proffered up tons of branches weighed down by plenty of ripe fruit. 

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

Why I Started Foraging for Figs (and Other Produce)

I knew I often only had a bit of time to grab some before the squirrels and birds got to them, so I introduced myself to said neighbor (thankfully putzing around in the garden already — score!), asking if she might have a few figs to share. I had focaccia on the mind, and started rolling around an idea of topping a salty-oily bread with figs and herbs. Maybe a bit of honey and bacon? Who knows. 

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

“Please, take them off my hands,” she said. (She’d already made plenty of fig jam, among other things, and had run out of ways to use them before they fell to the ground.) If this sounds like the most charming neighborhood goings-on, it damn near was Mayberry-levels of quaint. I walked off with my haul — some way-bigger-than-grocery-store figs that were, wait for it, FREE — and saved about $7 to $9 compared to the smaller organic varieties I noticed during a recent grocery shop. Could I possibly trick some friends at a game night-turned-dinner party that week into eating my foraged creation? I got to work prepping. 

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

How to Use Foraged Figs (and Other Produce)

To start, just because I knew from a previous herb foraging class I took, I made sure no critters had made a home in my figs and washed them thoroughly. While I don’t have any qualms about eating food I found on a walk (or while dumpster diving), I know others might have some concerns.

Then, I chopped the figs into quarters, discovering they were nutty, sweet, and a bit earthier compared to the ones I’ve gotten at the store. I used this tried-and-true gluten-free focaccia recipe, and studded the dough with the quartered figs (instead of tomato and garlic), brushing them with more olive oil and a sprinkle of Spice House Great North Maple-Garlic seasoning. For the last five minutes of baking, I added some pre-cooked North Country Smokehouse bacon crumbles I had on hand, as well. 

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

Fresh out of the oven, the earthy, jammy figs made the focaccia not only so cute and rustic-looking, but also balanced perfectly with the smoky saltiness of the bacon. And wouldn’t you guess, none of my friends would have ever imagined I gathered these figs myself before the squirrels got to them. 

Credit: Mackenzie Filson

Before You Forage, a Few Tips

Much like any other activity in nature, there’s a bit of safety and etiquette to keep in mind — whether you forage in the wild or at your next-door neighbor’s house. 

  • Get friendly with your neighbors! Chances are, they’re already overwhelmed with the onslaught of fruit that their trees produce each season and will be more than happy to share. 
  • Only take what you need (or maybe a bit less). Most foragers I’ve learned from suggest taking no more than 25% of a plant’s fruit, leaves, or flowers. This allows for more foragers (namely, other animals) to take what they need, as well as allow the plant to recover and flower again.  
  • Flip through a foraging guide for your area. I have a guide to foraging in Southern California, but there are plenty of guides (arranged seasonally) that will teach you how to safely identify, pick, and prepare these wild foods. I also highly suggest starting off by signing up for a foraging walk or hike with an experienced professional, or even joining a foraging group.
  • When in doubt, don’t eat it. No one is going to knock you for not being “adventurous” enough to try an unknown plant. I like to use the iNaturalist app to identify plants on-the-go that I’m unsure of, and typically keep to plants I’m familiar with (aka have a grocery store equivalent, like figs or lemons). 

Have you been foraging recently? Tell us about it in the comments below.