Buying Grain in Bulk

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Buying Grain in Bulk

by Beth
(Eastern Texas)

Hello,

My husband and I believe strongly in preparing for a total economic crash. (Hope for the best, but prepare for the worst). We have not obtained land as of yet, but are looking in the East Texas area.

Fortunately, for me, a "city girl", my husband was raised on a working farm as a child. He has the knowledge and skills for us to start homesteading.

My question is: Where do I start to look for bulk grains? I would prefer to buy them already ground (wheat and corn) as well as rice. My husband knows how to store them. When I do a search I am overwhelmed. It's so time consuming! I type in "buying bulk grains" and have to sift through dozens of sites that don't have what I am looking for- or they only sell wholesale.

By the way, I really like your website. You have a lot of good information on it. I agree with you about the chickens and goats. We would eventually have some laying hens, and a couple of dairy goats.

I have researched the internet and have found that chickens and goats are the easiest to care for. We won't have room for cattle, and we don't eat pork, so chickens (for meat and eggs) and goats for milk, is what we are looking at.

Kind regards,
Beth

Comments for
Buying Grain in Bulk

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I like these Mills and where I buy grain.
by: Steve D.

Word of caution about the Kitchen Aid mixer grinder attachment. Most of their Stand mixers are not powerful enough to do large batches of milling. It's best to get two. One electric and one hand mill.

I have the Family mill made in Germany which is OK for small batches of low usage. It also has a kitchen aid attachment that is suppose to work better than the Kitchen aid version. I have not received mine yet. The hand crank is amazing though. But the body and the auger are plastic.

The Country life mill can be hand or motor driven with options. It's not cheap but if you are planning for the worst I would go for that. I have an old Westen/Weston and Porkert hand mill and a spice/seed mill for emergencies or course milling. If you find a good source for bulk grain I'd love to have that.

So far Sprouts is cheaper than any WEB purchase I have found because of the high shipping costs.

Hope this helps and that we never have to use these except for good, no better, no best kind of baking.

Works Well, but not Sturdy Enough for Large Jobs
by: Sue Merriam

Diana,

I'm sorry I missed your question about the Kitchenaid Grain Mill attachment. The reviews for the grain mill attachment were mostly positive but with the caveat that the attachment will put far extra stress on your mixer and won't do heavy-duty grinding the way a traditional grain mill would.

Still, if it's all you can afford, you have to do what's best for your family and your budget. I would, however, start setting some money aside and eventually invest in a stand-alone grain mill. You can read more about them here.

All the best,

Sue

Buying Grain in Bulk
by: Anonymous

Sam's Club has 50lb bags of rice and beans.

Grain Grinder
by: Diana

Sue

I have a large KitchenAid mixer. My niece has one also and said her attachment works well. So I ordered the attachment and hope it will work well for me too. Do you have any information to the contrary to this grinder.

Thanks
Diana

Buying bulk grain to grind
by: Diana

Sue,

Thanks for your info. I will contact them and see what I can get there! I'm new at this and am excited to try grinding grains for baking.

I'll probably have more questions! Ha!

Thanks

Diana

Bulk Foods in Texas
by: Sue Merriam

Diana,

You can buy food in bulk from Best Prices Storable Foods. They are just outside of Dallas. Here's the link:

http://www.internet-grocer.net/

Sue

Where to buy grains for grinding?
by: Diana

Beth,

I don't see an answer to your question. Just your questions or responses.

I'm looking to buy grain but not in huge quantities. I'm going to grind grain for making bread, etc.

I live in the Dallas area and feel there must be a place somewhere that I can buy grain for grinding.

Thanks, Diana

Buying Bulk Grains
by: Beth

Thank you so much for the information on buying bulk grains!

I really enjoy your website!

Beth
Texas

Where to find bulk grains
by: Anonymous

Hello Beth,

Since you live in Texas, probably the best place for you to get storable foods would be Best Prices Storable Foods, located near Dallas. Because they are so close, shipping costs shouldn't be too prohibitive or better still, you can drive there and pick up your purchase. Here is their link:

Best Prices Storable Food

(For readers who don't live in Texas, a good way to find a storable food supplier in your area is to type in "storable foods" along with your state.)

They do sell ground flour and cornmeal as well, although I would urge you to consider buying a grain mill. I have a K-tec grain mill that cost me less than $200. It is a one-time investment that will save you hundreds of dollars down the road.

Let's say you do decide to purchase that 50 pound sack of ground flour. The cost would be about $18.90 or .37 per pound. So you would be saving money over purchasing a five-pound bag of ground flour weekly from the store. I haven't shopped for ground flour for a couple of years now, but I suspect it now costs at least $3 for a five-pound bag or .60 per pound.

Let's say you decide to buy whole wheat instead. The cost is $14.95 for 50 pounds, or .30 per pound. But better still, one cup of wheat produces about one and a half cups of flour. So really, when you buy 50 pounds of wheat, you are purchasing the potential of 75 pounds of flour or .19 per pound. Within about two years, you would save enough money to pay for the grain mill.

But even better, you will have far more nutrition and better health if you ground your flour fresh when you need it. Fresh ground flour will spoil within about a week if left on the shelf, so manufacturers add preservatives to keep it from spoiling. The fewer preservatives you have in your diet, the better it will be for your health. The better your health, the fewer times you will be getting sick and spending money on doctor visits. Good nutrition is far more crucial to quality of living than we realize. Also, wheat, properly stored, can last for years.

Hope this helps and Happy Homesteading!

Sue Merriam

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