Where to buy in bulk?

[hippiechick]

I wanted to buy some food items ( grains, beans, etc)  in those sealed buckets. Has anyone sampled? Any favorite resources? Best prices? Have thought about ordering from pleasant hill grains and Costco. What about those kits that contain the meals and  dehydrated fruits and veggies? Do they taste awful? My currrent food storage is primarily things I catch on sale, things I self can and preserve, and a few basics that I add to as I run out and often store in tupperware type containers.  So what about the bulk ordered stuff? Is it worth it to get it sealed for 20 years?

[opsec]

What about those kits that contain the meals and  dehydrated fruits and veggies? Do they taste awful?

Dehydrated fruits and vegetables don't tasts as good as fresh food, but it's not bad at all either.

My currrent food storage is primarily things I catch on sale, things I self can and preserve,...

The fact that you are already home canning means you are ahead of the game.

So what about the bulk ordered stuff? Is it worth it to get it sealed for 20 years?

I tend to think it is simply because you won't have to constantly rotate and replace the storage food. You can run a multi-tier system of food storage too. Keep a bunch of the 20 year storage food in the basement (I like to have a minimum 2 years worth at 3000 calories per day), then also have a minor storage food system that you rotate through and use constantly that lasts maybe 3 months or so. When crisis hits, you have 3 months of food that you are used to before you either need to bust into the serious storage stuff or things return to normal. You could also have an additional fall back food supply that goes in between the short term food storage and the expensive 20 year shelf life food, and that is canned food. Canned food is good for long past the date stamped on the can provided it hasn't been stored out in the attic. You could keep three months worth of food that you rotate through, stored in tupperwear. Once that's gone go to eating out of cans, after that most of the people around you will have starved to death or been shot by you as they try to take your food supply. Important point to emphasize here, food storage doesn't just mean storing food, it also means defending it against people who will kill you to take it.

The source I trust most for long term food storage is an outfit called Walton Feed. They are located in Montpelier, ID. http://www.waltonfeed.com/ I trust them because they are Mormons who are in business mainly to supply other Mormons. That means their quality control is literally a religious calling to them. I have no reason to doubt other suppliers like Pleasant Hill Grain, but with the Mormons I have no latitude for doubt. It saves money if you buy just the things that are difficult to store yourself like the freeze dried meats, fruits, and vegetables. Those are the most expensive. After that just buy your own 5 gallon buckets from Home Depot, and the rest of the supplies and do-it-yourself for bulk carbohydrates like rice, beans, pasta, wheat, etc. (see the sticky posts at the top of the food storage forums for details on this).

[Atash Hagmahani]

Hippychick, do they have "Cash and Carry" in your part of the country? Better for bulk grains and beans that too-yuppyish Costco.

Something you might be interested in is a vacuum-packer. They're not too expensive. Vacuum-packed dry goods--including by the way dry powdered milk--keep for years.

Dried fruits and vegetables vary in quality. Vacuum-dried fruits and veggies are very high-quality, but they have to be hermetically sealed as they are TOTALLY dehydrated, and turn sticky when exposed to atmospheric humidity.

[Beeherder]

Opsec is so very correct you are way ahead of the game if home canning is already in your routine.

and don't forget the potential of dehydrated organic veggies from your garden stored in quart size mason jars. Excellent source of known quality, easy to preserver yourself, see posts in food preservation that were passed along by the beeherder. The source of those pass alongs is local Colorado women who just happen to be mothers and research food scientists.

I live near a small town and believe in spending my money as close as possible to where i actually live. The local health food store in my area has a "bulk buyers club". No dues, no fees, no membership, just bulk quantities for 5% above wholesale. This brings prices below any place else i have found for organic high quality foods. You also have to agree to pick up your items on the day they are delivered. The proprietor is happy to have my trade and minimal overhead for my sale, they make a small amount, i get highest quality. Most small business owners are more than willing to do reasonable things to earn your trade, just ask the owner if she would rather have your business or have you go to a corporate store?

By using the vacuum sealer and mylar bags per the video here on this site you can have the best of both worlds, high quality low priced and not really rotated either.

see videos by averagejoe for excellent advice and demonstrations

I like to take a 25 lb bag of beans (many many varieties) or rice, or lentils and make 1 kilogram mylar inside vacuum bags and remainders go to pantry. I only store the things i eat.

ymmv

[hancocs]

I couple that I have used and have been please with is Emergency Essentials and Nitro-Pak ( also ran by the Mormon's)

[Beeherder]

Hancocs, what are some of your favorite sites for recipes using those stored foods in daily life? I have seen several but no longer have them in my new computer's favorites, at least not yet. That style of storage has many positive aspects and when linked with local self supported production would likely provide excellent nutrition without ever stepping off your small property. Which do you recommend?

[Eddie]

I went to Costco yesterday to pick up the usual items I eat on a regular basis like wild sockeye salmon (which they were out) dry roasted almonds and a few other items. But I also took the time to search for storage goods and to be honest, their really isn't anything on the shelves I would want to store. For one reason, I've become a picky eater recently, and wouldn't eat it unless I had to, so if I didn't rotate and consume it, would basically be a waste of money. I was tempted to buy some canned spam which comes in small boxes. Even though it doesn't really appeal to me, I assume it has a long shelf life, and you can't be a picky eater when anarchy sets in. I did however run across this site which may be a good idea. Buy bulk freeze dried food for a whole years worth. Though price is kinda high, in a meltdown situation its trivial. Major shelf life so no worries there either.

 http://www.thereadystore.com/catalog/product/view/id/1275/category/179

[hancocs]

Beehearder,

I have not really check out websites, but I'm sure their many. I do have a couple books that I would recommend. Cookin with Home storage and The Amazing Wheat book. You can find them at the below link. I think a few of the food storage website now are featuring a recipe section. I think maybe The Ready Store and Nitro-Pak and Emergency Essentials. I kind like to keep recipes in book form.



http://beprepared.com/category.asp_Q_c_E_20_A_c2c_E_tn_A_name_E_Education

[Mike]

"The Wheat Book" looks really good.  Well, so does the "Cookin' From Storage."  Actually, the whole site looks good.

I buy in bulk from Cash N Carry, aka United Grocers.  It is supposed to be a wholesale place.  But the one in my town has grown accustomed to selling to the public. 

25 pound bags of carrots were at $.26/lb in October 2008.... and $.20/lb a couple of weeks ago (on sale).

72 count boxes of oranges cost $15.50 ($.22/orange) on 12/29/2009 and have been at that price all spring.

*********************
Old beans
Lately I have been cooking old beans; beans that have been stored more than a year.  My impression is that they are harder to cook than fresher beans, and don't taste as good.

Is it me?  Or is that the reality?
**********
Pinto Beans :

Boil beans in water, salt (more than you'd expect), and an onion.... for a really long time, but don't burn them.

Always have beans cooked in this way in the fridge.  They are really cheap and will supplant other foods for a quick meal, if they're already in the fridge.

Quick recipe:
Add crumbled Queso Fresco (or maybe a less expensive cheese), buttermilk, and salsa,... then microwave.  The amounts don't matter.  What matters is 'speed in preparation.'

I like this for its fastness & simplicity.

[Atash Hagmahani]

Mike, soak old beans overnight before cooking. Might even want to change the water once.

[Eddie]

I have way to many beans and rice for myself to the point that I would puke if that's all I had to eat for a year. So I offered an old buddy of mine half my stash, but he said he didn't have room for them in his apartment. This is an old childhood friend that's fallen on real rough times so I told him I would hold onto them for him because I know he'll need them later. I know he doesn't quite understand or believe what actually happening to our country, but I've been talking to him more recently about this stuff. I think its slowly sinking in. Anyways, Im probably going to splurge on the freeze dried bulk for 3k in the link I posted sometime in the fall.

[Mike]

Mike, soak old beans overnight before cooking. Might even want to change the water once.

Thanks!  It will be a week before I cook beans again.  I'll be soaking the beans then.

[hancocs]

Eddie,

Before you buy you might want to price shop with the below sites. I find these food storage site very good. You may have already.

internet-grocer.net
Walton feed
Emergency Essentials

[Eddie]

Thank you Hancocs, I will check them out. Peace

[Beeherder]

Beans, beans, beans!, the musical fruit, the more you eat the more you toot.

To reduce the flatulence factor soak your beans over night then rinse well before cooking. Could not explain why by repeated empirical evidence convinces me that soaking over night and then rinsing well put less pressure on life. If you forget to soak over night a one hour soak in water that was boiling when you put the dried beans, taken off the heat to soak for that hour, then rinse and cook, not quite as effective but better than not soaking.

Purchased from Emergency Essentials three years ago, another satisfied customer.

Thanks for the tips on cookbooks.