Buying in bulk

[wgr]

were do you guys buy things like beans/ rice and the like in bulk

[Loudy13]

Sam's club for rice, I don't buy beans but I think they have 50lb bags of both

[bbogue1]

Look for a grocery supply in your area try Cash and Carry they have stores nationally.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

from the Farmers.

I just seen a FB advertisement, Yukon Gold tators are currently being harvested, a local farmer is selling them by the 50lb box for $10.

Also, in December, I buy Walnuts in bulk direct from a CA farmer...best I've ever tasted

[smoked turkey]

We travel a little distance to a Mennonite store where we buy by the 50# bag of the hard, white wheat berries. My wife grinds it and makes our bread and has for years. It is Montana Gold brand. We also buy beans, pop corn, and honey when we are there if needed. We shop at Sam's warehouse and try to buy in larger quantities for many of our perishable food items. For just plain grocery shopping we go to Aldi's. We have a small seasonal garden where we have cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, Lettice, potatoes, and such.

[BrassMagnet]

From the Mormon's Bishop's Pantry. Can come bagged, boxed, or dry canned for long term storage.

[Thumbcocker]

Emergency Essentials is a Utah retailer that sells prepper stuff but will also sell 5 gallon buckets of wheat, beans and etc. Great folks to deal with.

[pete501]

Yard Sales, that's where we found 9 cases #8 cans of wheat plus 9-5 gallon buckets more of wheat and a bucket of powdered milk for Free. Not all in one sale but over the years, It was from Utah. A very generous lot.

[Grmps]

Asian markets are a good place for bulk rice

[BrassMagnet]

From the Mormon's Bishop's Pantry. Can come bagged, boxed, or dry canned for long term storage.

https://providentliving.lds.org/self-reliance/home-storage-centers?lang=eng

https://providentliving.lds.org/bc/providentliving/content/bishops-storehouse/HomeStorageOrderFormEng.pdf?lang=eng

https://store.lds.org/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Category3_715839595_10557_3074457345616706370_-1_N_image_0


Hopefully these links will help you find where to buy it, what to buy, and what is available to purchase online for delivery to your house.

[DerekP Houston]

yup, part of the extended family are mormons I follow their lead. On the other hand I can buy 5lb-10lb bags at the grocery store here and I get to rotate my stocks more frequently that way.

For meats and such I use Zaycon Fresh or Sams club.

[dragon813gt]

from the Farmers.

I just seen a FB advertisement, Yukon Gold tators are currently being harvested, a local farmer is selling them by the 50lb box for $10.

At that price they're almost not with growing yourself. Mine will stay in the ground until late September. But that's a really hard price to beat.

I second buying from farmers. It's where I buy almost all my meat and the vegetables I don't grow. Will stop at the orchard when I get back from Ireland to buy a bushel of peaches. They're actually tree ripened, picked at the right time and you can't beat the taste. Especially in a peach pie when it's twenty degrees outside and there is a foot of snow on the ground.

[rancher1913]

grow it myself or get it from neighbors. beans we get right out of the combine, taters come from the reject pile at the storage shed, onions come from the reject pile at the storage shed, wheat comes right out of the combine, and beef and pork and chicken come from my land. tried selling pintos on here but the shipping killed the value. everything else comes from our garden.

[koehn,jim]

You can also buy cans of emergency food thru Walmart. The price is good, most has a 20 year shelf life and if you order enough they ship for free.

[Iowa Fox]

Stringtown Grocery just off Hwy 1 North of Kalona for us. It's a Mennonite store that sells local produce in season and bulk stuff like rice, oatmeal, flour, raisins, nuts, ect, ect. The girls will bag you up any size you want. My wife buys flour by the 50# bag during baking season. We like a lot of things about the store. The country ride about 25 miles one way, seasonal items in the store, the owner tries to sell good fresh and good tasting stuff, and he is older so he still has compassion to his fellow man with fair lower prices. I see license plates from all counties of the eastern part of the state plus Illinois which is about an hour away.

[GhostHawk]

My wife and I have been buying some dried goods in bulk from Sam's club for 20 years.

Lately all the rice, sugar, salt, flour, beans get moved into food saver bags and vacuum sealed. Then labeled, rice goes back in the 50 pound bag.

We mostly buy what we eat, and use the oldest, stash the latest.

Costco also some, but I prefer Sam's club.

I also have a nice little stash of green unroasted coffee beans. After everyone else is out I will still have fresh roasted beans and good coffee when I want it.

Should have bought a bigger house though, running out of room. Wish the end of the world would hurry up and get here. Getting tired of waiting, and going to be too old to enjoy it.

[jmort]

https://internet-grocer.3dcartstores.com/mobile/home.asp

[MaryB]

Walmart has 25 pound bags of rice and beans.

[waksupi]

Stringtown Grocery just off Hwy 1 North of Kalona for us. It's a Mennonite store that sells local produce in season and bulk stuff like rice, oatmeal, flour, raisins, nuts, ect, ect. The girls will bag you up any size you want. My wife buys flour by the 50# bag during baking season. We like a lot of things about the store. The country ride about 25 miles one way, seasonal items in the store, the owner tries to sell good fresh and good tasting stuff, and he is older so he still has compassion to his fellow man with fair lower prices. I see license plates from all counties of the eastern part of the state plus Illinois which is about an hour away.

Whenever I pass through that area, I stop there.

[mold maker]

I make a Sams Club trip at least once a month. Since the wife is in a wheelchair and my legs don't allow for standing, we use lots of paper and disposables. It's not good for the economy but allows us to maintain a lifestyle not otherwise possible.

[higgins]

We visit an Amish community a couple of times during growing season and buy produce. It's a long drive to get there, but their produce (which is good) is so cheap that if one lived close by it wouldn't be worth the trouble of growing and maintaining a garden unless one just enjoyed gardening. Bread is good too.

[Iowa Fox]

Whenever I pass through that area, I stop there.

I was wondering if anyone from the forum might have been there. Fairbank and Hazleton, Iowa have a couple good Amish places also.

[6bg6ga]

I was wondering if anyone from the forum might have been there. Fairbank and Hazleton, Iowa have a couple good Amish places also.

Part of my territory. Been thru there a number of times and know a few people.

[MT Gianni]

Costco does have good prices on flour, sugar, rice and beans. I am not aware of anyone in a 40 mile radius that grows anything other than hay, barley, cattle and sheep commercially. If I extend it further I can get potatoes and grain.

[MaryB]

Wish I had a barley source... I can malt it myself for making beer... which would be a great barter item.

[TexasGrunt]

Look for a grocery supply in your area try Cash and Carry they have stores nationally.

Aren't they mainly in the Pacific NW? I know I used to shop one in Portland all the time. Their website only shows stores in seven states.

[2011redrider]

That's what I thought. They are part of Smart and final and cater to the restaurant industry. I buy a lot of meat at the Modesto, ca store and pellets for my Traeger. Most Inge there are in the xl sizes. Signed up and get their sales once a week. Favorite store for meat like whole Top Sirloins, Sirloin Tips, baby backs.......I'll miss it when the wife retires and we can get out of CA.

[GhostHawk]

Mary it is not easy to find barley anymore. Seems they don't grow it as much as they used to.

Best bet would be to find a farmer who has some he grows for animal feed.

An acre of barley with a decent yield would make a LOT of beer!

[MaryB]

I use 20 pounds per 11 gallon batch for a strong English bitter. The malting process is a lot of hand work turning the mass, checking, kilning to desired color level...

[rancher1913]

fields and fields of barley around here but it all belongs to Coors and the farmers can not sell to anybody else. dont know any of them personally or I would try to obtain some for you.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Mary it is not easy to find barley anymore. Seems they don't grow it as much as they used to.

Best bet would be to find a farmer who has some he grows for animal feed.

An acre of barley with a decent yield would make a LOT of beer!

I thought they grew a lot of Barley just west of you, in the Golden Triangle?
has that lessened? or is it just going to commercial brewers on a contract, like Rancher just said?

[GhostHawk]

I was actually born and raised in and near Ada Minnesota.

Growing up all the farmers had at least some barley, but I just don't see it anymore.

We do have an Anhouser Busch Malt plant in Moorhead but I suspect that is all contract.

I tried talking to the guys that farm my dad's land some 5 years ago about finding some barley, and they did not know anyone who still had some.

If I really wanted some badly I could probably call around feed stores and elevators and find a few bushels.

I have never actually malted my own, but it would be a nice skill to have should the SHTF.

Beer yes, wine, sparkling wild plum wines, mead.

I reckon if I actually ever need to do it I'll figure it out as I go and muddle through.

Would not mind learning how to make sour mash whiskey either.
But I forsee nothing but trouble if I start trying to talking with old guys down in the Kentucky hills about teaching me. eh?

[MaryB]

Way to expensive to ship! I go through 48 pounds in 6 weeks...


fields and fields of barley around here but it all belongs to Coors and the farmers can not sell to anybody else. dont know any of them personally or I would try to obtain some for you.

[MaryB]

Sour mash is pretty easy, cracked corn, water, mix and let it ferment with the lid off at first to get the wild yeast. I wouldn't know anything about distilling :wink:


I was actually born and raised in and near Ada Minnesota.

Growing up all the farmers had at least some barley, but I just don't see it anymore.

We do have an Anhouser Busch Malt plant in Moorhead but I suspect that is all contract.

I tried talking to the guys that farm my dad's land some 5 years ago about finding some barley, and they did not know anyone who still had some.

If I really wanted some badly I could probably call around feed stores and elevators and find a few bushels.

I have never actually malted my own, but it would be a nice skill to have should the SHTF.

Beer yes, wine, sparkling wild plum wines, mead.

I reckon if I actually ever need to do it I'll figure it out as I go and muddle through.

Would not mind learning how to make sour mash whiskey either.
But I forsee nothing but trouble if I start trying to talking with old guys down in the Kentucky hills about teaching me. eh?

[GhostHawk]

Distilling is easy here in the frozen north land. Bottle it into 2 liter pop bottles about 3/4 full. Set out on the back deck or the porch come some night of -10 or lower.

In the morning drain the bottles. What runs out is alcohol, a little water, and all the sugars the yeast have not yet eaten.

"Freeze brandy"

No smell, no equipment required, hard part is just not telling anyone about it.

If you freeze it twice you can get up into fortified wine/cordial strength. Bit short of real brandy.

Has a good kick to it though, and because the freezing concentrates the sugars it tends to be pretty smooth going down. Let it age for a month and bottle it.

I know enough about distilling to not doing as long as we still have the BATF around.
Once those guys are gone, well be lots of folks making a little shine I think.

[MaryB]

Back i my misspent youth I had a glass condenser coil with a water jacket. We just had to try it out... was some tasty stuff!

I know h=guys who are freeze concentrating beers... lot of work for very little product in the end. But one guy did get a beer up to 30% ABV

[farmerjim]

In my younger years I was a grain inspector. Sometimes the extra grain from sampling would disappear. I had a still. I made sour mash from corn and vodka from wheat. I have never made beer, but have drunk a bunch that friends made. It is better than what you get from the store. I like the British beer and ale .

[dbosman]

Michigan has it easier than some.
http://www.agrilicious.org/local/local-barley/michigan
http://msue.anr.msu.edu/resources/malting_barley_production_in_michigan_gmi035

[MaryB]

A lot of the brewing grain I get comes out of MI/WI... Breiss http://www.brewingwithbriess.com/ For the common malts I buy 50 pound sacks because it is 1/3 cheaper than by the pound.