Once I wrote “Free Food” as a title for one of my foraging posts, but then I changed it. Why? Because, if you take a good look, nothing on this earth is ever free. You need to trade one thing for another. When it comes to foraging, you will have to trade your precious and ultimately limited time for this “free” food.
Foraging Time Is Good Time
To many reading this, the time you spend out foraging, perhaps as the early morning light slants across the newly rain washed desert floor, with birds chirping from the trees and from atop saguaros – is priceless.
In my book, time spent foraging beats the heck out of time sitting in a stuffy office with recycled air just to earn some money to buy mass produced bags of spinach (with who know what parasites) from an indifferent chain supermarket any day of the week. That’s in my book anyway. Your choice.
Other “Free” Things That Aren’t
Free not being free is not just about foraging food. That “free” pen the spa company gave you at the home show? You pay for it in a higher price from that company. Sure they can write it off as advertising, but it still reflected in the cost of goods and services.
“Free books” from the library? You paid for them with your taxes. Or someone else did. It has been proven by a number of various economists that the highest prices humans pay money for is anything is anything that is government subsidized. And before you jump on me about this topic – I am a firm believer in public libraries.
As a homeowner and former landlord, I can tell you that your landlord has to pay a steep tax on that home or apartment that you live in. Once that is paid, the government still has their hand out for some income tax on the income the landlord gets for renting to you. He has to raise the rent because the town raised the taxes because you wanted free bus rides. Free never is. The cost is always there. Sometimes it’s just moved around a little.
Not a New Concept
In the immortal words of Robert Heinlein in “The Moon is a Harsh Mistress” (1966), TANSTAAFL. “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.” Economist Milton Friedman used these initials as well in a 1969 publication, and as a title to a book in 1975.
Before it was shortened to by Heinlein into a slogan for a new nation, it was just the words. All written out. “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” And it goes back a ways.
In the late 1890’s many saloons in the United States offered a midday buffet selection of gratis food to customers who purchased at least one drink. The saloon keepers hoped to increase the number of clients and the amount of alcohol purchased. The “free lunch” food functioned as a loss leader. When some objections were raised about them offering “free lunch,” they pointed out that is was not free. The men partaking had to by a drink first. Yes, I said men. No need to change language. Women did not enter salons.
There is more about this quote on a site called Quote Investigator.
Some Things Look Free
I used to walk or ride the bus to work while I went to graduate school in Austin, Texas. Along my way, I would stop to collect dropped coins. At home I had a special jar for my found money, and I did keep it separate. At the end of one year I had amassed $12.36 which is the equivalent of about $25 today. One part of me said to throw out two pennies so it would be 12.34, a nice happy looking number, but the fugal part won.
I told a fellow graduate student about my found money and she laughingly said, “Maybe there really is free lunch!”
No Gladys, there is no free. I had to stop my day, pick up a coin, carry the coin in a separate pocket, be sure to wash my hands after handling the coin found in the parking lot with who knows what debris on it. I saved all this coinage separate from my general funds, and then had to count all this largess, not to mention roll it for the bank, and take it to the bank to exchange for bills. It took me spending my time to get my “free lunch.”
In the immortal words of timeless science fiction – TANSTAAFL. “There ain’t no such thing as a free lunch.”
No Free Lunch
Years ago, I had a pillow that I loved because it fit me just right for sleeping. The seam started to give out and some of the stuffing came out. I observed that it was cut up bits of foam. “Foam rubber” it used to be called, but it is actually foamed plastic. Long ago it ceased to be made from Hevea brasiliensis, true rubber, a member of the Euphorbia family.
I looked at this piece of foam that had come out of my pillow, and thought of the chair cushion I had just made for Grandpa. It was from foam I purchased at the fabric store. There had been a narrow bit left over, and I had saved it. I reckoned that could simply cut that up and re-stuff my now sagging pillow.
Then I began to find foam everywhere it seemed. Found quite a bit as packing material for the new scientific equipment they sent to the lab (this was then, they use other types of foam now). I simply took it home and washed it. I found a solid foam cushion in a free box at a yard sale. The cover was fraying, but I took it home, made rags of the cover, and washed the foam. Over time I had amassed enough foam to make several very soft and comfy pillows for the couch, and I covered them some cool old tee shirts.
No Free Lunch
A visiting friend remarked, “These are so comfortable, where did you get them?” When she found out that I did not “get” them, I made them myself, she was less interested in acquiring some. Gladys was all ready to go out and spend money and buy something. Taking time to make something with her own two hands was not interesting to her. She had been so well trained to be part of the consumer culture.
Her husband had a thoughtful look on his face though. “You didn’t spend any money on these?” I admitted that maybe some for the tread but the cloth was old tee shirts, some of them from free boxes at yard sales.
He laughed and said “You really can get something for nothing!”
Well no Herbert, it was not “nothing.” I spent time on this. Moments here and there across the year, but time none the less. Time to amass the foam, clean the foam, store the foam until I had enough. Meanwhile searching for the material to cover the pillows – tee shirts with witty sayings and the like. Then to sit down, cut the foam into small pieces, clean up the mess from that, stuff the foam pieces into plain cotton cases I had made for them, cut and sew the tee shirts into covers, sew the cases over the covers, then clean up the mess from the entire project. Yes, I had to clean again, I had a cat to help.
So no, my pillows were not “free.” I did not get something for nothing. I traded my time.
The time I spent “foraging” the materials to make my house a comfy home was priceless to me. I got to creating something unique for mere pennies. No one else, anywhere in the world had pillows like those that I had made.
Create or Consume
I am glad I used my time to create. Time spent creating is far more soul satisfying than time spent staring mindlessly at the boob tube consuming the drivel on it. Mindless time spent idly trying to solve “whodunit” or inanely laughing when the laugh track informed me that something funny had occurred – all interrupted constantly with advertisements to urge us to go out and consume yet more mass manufactured products.
In graduate school I was living on a narrow margin. Yes I got paid to teach, and it was enough to live on – if I was careful. Many of my fellow students graduated from university deeply in debt. They “saved time” by buying their meals. Meanwhile, I was spending time making my meals instead of spending money buying them, and graduated without crippling debt.
I didn’t know it then, but I realize it now. I am a homesteader at heart.
More on this in future articles.
Our Website is “free” – but this Cookbook Isn’t
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The recipes in the cookbook aren’t shared on our website. You actually have to buy the book. But if you like what is online, you will like the cookbook.
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We hope you will help support some local Southwest folks!
From the review:
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Copyright
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Disclaimer
The authors of this website have researched the edibility of the materials we discuss, however, humans vary in their ability to tolerate different foods, drinks, and herbs. Individuals consuming flowers, plants, animals or derivatives mentioned in this blog do so entirely at their own risk. The authors on this site cannot be held responsible for any adverse reaction. In case of doubt please consult your medical practitioner.
Well done! I have tried to explain this concept to people – free never is!
One guy wanted to argue about it – said that the government paid for the libraries. I wanted to say “Bless your heart,” but he would have thought it was a compliment.
So glad that you like the piece.