The season helps. Natural Grocers tends to put a lot of their food in a compost can next to their regular trash can. If you go there in late fall when the dayti

The season helps. Natural Grocers tends to put a lot of their food in a compost can next to their regular trash can. If you go there in late fall when the daytime temperatures are above freezing but the night-time temperatures are below freezing the flies aren't bad and you can find some fresh produce before it's been harmed by the frost. I still have a cutting growing in my kitchen from a "live basil" that we found there a few years ago. We'd also find whole, healthy avocados and stuff there but we left those for the homeless.