Bulk Buying, Storing, Cooking

When the kids were younger (and our incomes smaller), I was a fanatic about buying food in bulk and pre-making meals for the week. I’d get one of those huge 10-pound ground beef rolls, cook it all up at once, and bag it in freezer bags. I also remember going on fruit and vegetable binges, where I’d grab 50 pounds of discounted, bruised peaches or green tomatoes. I’d spend days peeling, chopping, slicing, bagging, freezing. (I don’t can my food because I don’t know how to do it, and I don’t have the supplies).

I feel out of all that work a few years ago. I can’t put my finger on why I stopped, exactly. Maybe it was when the kids hit a certain age and they were able to make their own meals. Or maybe it was when I started babysitting a bunch of kids and became too busy for all that kitchen work. Or maybe it was when I started my at-home job. That takes a lot of time and energy, actually. And I’m getting older, too. I sure wish they had a Battery charger for us as we age. Coffee just isn’t working so much anymore, lol.

Well, ANYWAY, I’m thinking about bulk cooking because I actually did some today. It has been a loooong time. I have been taking advantage of some good sales, and one of them was on a 20-pound slap of boneless pork loin. I’m not too fond of pork (no one is in the house), but the price was right and I figured I could make a couple of meals out of it. Which I did, today. Can you believe it— it’s not even 10 am and already the entire loin is washed, chopped, bagged and stored! Some of it is simmering in a crockpot with carrots, onions and black beans. I feel so… so… domestic!

Regarding canning– I would love to learn how to can. The food prices make me queasy and sometimes when I read the news headlines I get a little nervous. Everything seems so tenuous. Is it just me? Is it truly tenuous? Or does every generation always feel this way? I imagine how it must have felt for folks going through the world wars…. wow. Anyway, I think I will try to get back into the bulk food preparation habit again. Maybe I’ll even shell out the bucks and get a canning set.

Buying in Bulk- Where?

I’m looking into buying in bulk– online– more than ever now. I find a heck of a lot of multivitamin products online, but I’m looking specifically for stuff like dried fruits, nuts, pet foods, and things like pasta and rice. Do any of you have any suggestions? I have only found a few websites, and their prices aren’t that much different than my local grocery store (when you account for shipping). That’s no good.

I ordered yeast online recently, purchased 5 pounds in 0ne-pound packages. It should last me a good year, maybe more. And it only cost me $25 total! Now THAT’S buying in bulk.

I have no idea regarding any co-operative extension in my area, either. I think the nearest one is several towns away. Besides, I’d rather order online and have it delivered than fanagle with an order and have to drive out 15 miles to pick it up.

Do you order in bulk? If so, where? I’d love to try it!

Buying Yeast in Bulk

Just got my online order of yeast. Yay! I tried a new online outlet, Mulberry Lane Farms, and am impressed! The price of bulk yeast is very good. Shipping was a little pricey but I think the yeast is high-quality, and I like supporting family farm ventures like this.

I buy yeast in bulk. It saves me a ton of money (I make a lot of flax seed bread with all our Italian dishes). I cannot understand HOW grocery stores can charge $5 for a tiny little jar of yeast when I can pay $5 for a bulk 1 pound bag that contains ten times as much. Crazy! This month I needed yeast and I needed to buy cell phones minutes… but I couldn’t pay for both, not with store prices. I’m happy to report that I was able to get both! And now I have a year’s worth of yeast in my pantry.

I’m looking into buying nuts and seeds in bulk, too. I haven’t found a BIG savings in online versus retail stores yet. If anyone has any suggestions, feel free to leave them. I prefer the smaller, farming, family-friendly places instead of the “CAFO” of bulk foods. It’s been tough trying to find nuts and seeds online for good prices.