Since I have been consistently making our food from scratch, this makes the need for flour, old fashioned oats, and sugar far greater than before. While Aldi's prices are really good on these products, far better than Wal-Mart or our local grocery store, it still adds up and I'll take any savings I can get.
As part of my goals for 2009, I wanted to get a food supply up in the event that my husband loses his job and really, just for peace of mind (who knows, I could get trapped in my house again for 3 weeks this winter!). We just recently put up wheat berries for our wheat flour, so I was just missing the rest for my baking essentials. We hit up the local discount grocery store, which started carrying bulk products, and came home with 50 lbs each of old fashioned oats, sugar and unbleached flour. The only problem was storage. I still keep my small containers in my cabinets, but I needed somewhere to put the rest.
We found some food safe 5 gallon buckets with lids and decided that those would work best since they can stack on top of each other and would be air tight. One of the main things you have to worry about when buying in bulk, is bugs! While it would just add some extra protein, I'm just not for it! To prevent this, not only do you need an airtight container, but you need to get out all of the oxygen.
Insert oxygen absorbers.
These are just small little packets (similiar to the silica gel packets that you see in various products) that absorb all of the excess oxygen. This will help keep out the bugs, and also help your product stay fresh longer. We were able to get ours at another local-ish retailer that specializes in canning/bulk foods for about .10¢ a piece. Definitely nothing that will break the bank.
While initially I had the cost of the buckets, which added up fast, I've still made out on top. If I were to buy everything in their smaller containers from Aldi's, I would have spent roughly twice as much as I did for buying it all at once in bulk. If you have room to store bulk products, it is worth checking into, just make sure that you store it correctly so you don't ruin your product in the process.
Don't forget to label your buckets, especially if you have multiple buckets. Also, instead of using regular lids, you can get a "Gamma Lid", which not only is airtight, but screws on and off. Super handy when you are needing to refill your containers.
If you do not have a lot of pantry space, but are blessed with ample freezer room, you can also place your flour and sugar in the freezer. This will help it to maintain it's freshness, and will kill any weevil or insect eggs already in there. Storing it this way will keep it fresh for several years.
How do you store up bulk purchases??
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14 comments:
I love the gamma lids. I store my wheat berries in buckets and those lids and I love them. They make gettting in and out of the buckets so much easier.
We don't buy huge amounts of flour so haven't had any problem storing it. I have a big plastic container I pour it into and the rest of it we leave in it's own bag, and then wrap that in another bag. Never had a problem.
However, I love those buckets. I am hoping to do more cooking from scratch than I do, so I will have to keep an eye out for those buckets.
Great post! We've been dealing with 5-gallon buckets for YEARS since before Y2K. Bought a lot of grain, used the buckets, food-grade liners, oxygen absorbers and moisture absorbers. It works! I still buy in bulk since I have 9 children - we have 25 lb. bags of lentils, brown rice, barley, millet, etc. all over. I usually grind my wheat fresh and keep the flour in the refrigerator or freezer.
Bay leaf are very cheap if bought individually at a food co-op or health food store. They release a smell that deters bugs but does change the flavor of the grain or have any taste. I've been using them for years.
I buy my wheat berries in 50 pound bags myself. I also find that simply growing my own vegetables all summer and canning or freezing the excess takes us a long way through winter. We pick berries in the summer and freeze for the winter and make jams and jellies. The taste is amazing and the savings are super.
Wow, I'm impressed. Thank you for the inspiration of ways to buy in bulk!
You can get food grade buckets for free from many bakeries. I walked out of our local grocery store with 6 of the 3 gallon frosting buckets the other week. The 3 gallon buckets are nice for us because they store the 25lb bags of most things and they are easier to move.
This is how I store all my bulk food too! We have been doing it that way for nearly ten years and have never had a problem... we just keep reusing the same buckets and gamma lids. For long term storage (let's say you buy for a year ahead of time) you can use diatomatious earth in your grains and legumes too.
Amy Ellen from Health Begins With Mom
I agree! Usually I make a little extra corn and it heats up pretty well the next day so then I have a little extra.
Definitely get the gamma lids! Those regular lids are a real pain if it's a bucket you're getting into regularly. (Not a biggie for the longer-term storage, though.)
For opening new buckets (that you've sealed) make sure to buy a bucket opener.
I have gamma lids on the things that I have open on a regular basis, including rice, popcorn, wheat, flour, beans, oats, and sugar.
You can see how I keep mine here:
http://theprudenthomemaker.com/awellstockedpantry.aspx
Good idea.
Here we can hardly pile up things, with 6 kids it's eaten soon. LOL!
have a great day!
I just got my first big bulk purchase - 25 lbs of oats - and I doled half of it out into empty oatmeal containers that I've saved. I guess I'll just hope the bugs don't get in!
Terrific information! I have just started baking for my family, and since I live on the Gulf coast of Florida where it is hot and humid 9 out of 12 months, I have been afraid of buying and storing in bulk - 25 pounds of rancid anything would just kill me. This is an idea that I think will work for me - thanks for the inspiration!
Peace be with you...
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