How to buy 200lbs of food for $25

[minimus]

[Skid]

Great advice in the video. The markuip in the stores is incredible, especially as it has to pass through so many middle men. If you live on the prairies, buy wheat and other grains directly from the farmer or grain elevator. Way cheap!

[SB2]

I have bought all my wheat(soft white) at the grain elevator. I call and ask them to double clean say 10 bags. It's no different than what we eat in flour. But then, they do grow it around here, so it's fresh and cheap.

sb

[Professur]

But if you live in the city, you're still SOL

[SB2]

But if you live in the city, you're still SOL

What do you mean? Even if I lived in the heart of Chicago, it would only be a one hour drive to accomplish this. Now L.A. , that would be a completely different story (I think anyway).

It is regional though for the really cheap stuff. Wheat corn, soybeans, rice(although 16.50/50 at Sams is great), sugar is still real cheap(no nutritional value though), bulk elbow macaroni, pasta. Lentils, split pea(both a good buy), Pinto beans(at Walmart!!)

Long term storage is the problem. But today food is real inexpensive.

That could change.

s

[minimus]

I bought 200 lbs of steam rolled oats a few years back from the feed store, had to order it in, no big deal, took two days.

Oats is really light weight took like a dozen five gallon buckets to put it up. Enough breakfast cereal for a couple years, cost me $32 back then.

#50 lb bags, I think $8 a bag. I can get sweet corn at the grain elevator real cheap but I don't have a grinder yet.

I want a good electric grinder not the hand crank junk.

[Saul Mine]

Feed stores carry animal feed, which means you can get some things and not others. You probably can get popcorn and rolled oats, maybe even quick oats, but you can't get any specific kind of wheat; They usually don't have any idea where the wheat was grown and it is just generic wheat, not hard or red or any such fanciness. Prices are about twice to four times what the flick suggests, but that may be a matter of location.

[AMforPM]

I'm going to see if our feed store has molasses. That would be great. Feed stores are a great resource for antibiotics as well. I got hard winter wheat (whole and suitable for sprouting as well as eating in other forms) all nicely canned from LDS to whom I am grateful, steel cut oats I had to package from Honeyville. They are ruined for sprouting, but will retain their nutritional value much better than anything rolled. The corn I got at the feed store I consider tough and tasteless, but fine cooked in beans. The wife considers it inedible so for peace in the household it will likely become hen feed or trade goods. Feed corn is not sweet, and it is harder to soften up than black beans. (We have all the grits and cornmeal we wanted so I won't be grinding that corn. It might be good to go with the pinto beans I intend to add to my stores on the 1st for some food to share with neighbors. I suspect grandmother in the large mexican great neighbors across the road remembers how to make tortillas from dry field corn. They have been good and trustworthy neighbors and would be the first I would approach for mutual assistance.)

But molasses is a great idea if our feed store carries them.

[Hystckndle]

AM,
I have link for tortillas somewheres.
Will get it for you.
Slaked lime is the key.
Regards,

[Jimfrancisco]

The main difference being that "human grade" food is stored away from vermin, etc. The idea of rat sh*t in my food may be a little offputting, but not when I'm starving!

[minimus]

Every time you eat corn you're getting weevils, "human grade": or not ... after the grain drier they're dead bugs and larvae.

High cost or high volume ?

I guess its a matter of choosing the lessor of two weevils ...

[goldie40]

you should see the rats that are around wheaties and cornflake factories.the main difference in human grade is that the grain is run thru a cleaner a couple of times, also anyone that has been prepping for yrs would know that if you see two fields of wheat, neither is labeled for animal or human consumption, the highest bidder at the elevator gets the grain.

[minimus]

Anyone who grew up in rural America knows when to tell the miller to "push it thru the drier twice".

You'll pay a little more.

[davehorus]

I was in a rural area today stopped at a hardware store and killed time looking around for bargains, if any.... saw big fifty pound bags of corn and oats meant as horse feed, but extremely cheap, and I'm betting they'll do fine when people are starving. I plan on getting some next time.

[aybesee123]

you better do some asking at the feed store unless you like mold inhibitors sprayed on your grains..

[spacecase0]

AM,
I have link for tortillas somewheres.
Will get it for you.
Slaked lime is the key.
Regards,

I have been making corn tortillas and this is where I got my instructions, but I think the ratios are only for dent corn,
if using flower corn, then use more water.
http://www.motherearthnews.com/Real-...Your-Corn.aspx

I have also seen methods that use wood ashes and other renewable tings to make them with.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a2NUqlsdZCE

I would love to see any other methods that people have.
bulk corn is still cheep even when organic and of good quality,

when I get a new bag of corn,
I freeze it for a few days,
then set it out for 2 weeks, then freeze it again,
that kills off the bugs and then it stores way longer.

[Hystckndle]

Spacecase,
Thanks for the links.
I printed mine out and it is buried somwehere.
The mother earth one I have.
And that is the MOP I have followed.
I am allergic to gluten so the corn is a big one for me.
I bought my feed corn and then transferred it into mylar bags with oxygen obsorbers.
I see your point in the freeze process.
Regards,
Haystackneedle

[spacecase0]

funny, I got interested in corn from the gluten allergy thing as well,
mylar bags and O2 absorbers sound like a great idea,
I have various stages of long term storage, but for everyday use I don't usually need it.

vacuumed out canning jars is one of my favorites for long term,
when things are stored below the vapor pressure of water, then no bugs can grow.
but it is kind of expensive for all the jars...

[Hystckndle]

Yeah,
I have steer away from the wheat.
( and a lot of the canned stuff I had put up for the first few years...those 100 cans of Armour chili will have to be someone else's delight.. )
I have concentrated on the bang for the buck rice and corn and beans first.
Now I am moving into Quinoa which i like a lot but not all of the places have it.
It is actually cheaper to buy it already superpailed and sealed I think than to DIY.
I have not done the jars yet.
Haystack

[spacecase0]

the quinoa is great,
I lived on it for years,
then the price got up to $4 a pound,
so I switched to good basmati rice
I have seeds for it and have grown quinoa before, and may put in a big plot if I ever get land...

the superpailed and sealed works well as long as you don't have mice and are looking for long storage.
but I fear mice and eat lots of the grain that I buy fairly fast,
so I just freeze treat it and store it in an enclosed metal bin for the most part.

if you are looking to store some things in the jars without air,
then you need one of these
wide mouth
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0048541515069a.shtml
narrow mouth
http://www.cabelas.com/p-0048541517329a.shtml
and a vacuum pump
http://www.harborfreight.com/brake-b...kit-92474.html

it is not that expensive ( like less than $40 ) to do unless you do it like I did,
my setup is custom and can remove the air from a jar in 15 seconds.
I mostly use it to store my seed collection to extend the life of short lived seeds like carrots and onions

[Hystckndle]

Thanks for the links Space.
I do not have a problem with mice at the time as the cats have toasted that
population and the lizards too.
I too, have a large basmati and also jasmine " collection"
The 4 a pound for the big Q is what it is for me as well.
BUT...it it chock full of nutrients for the price.
Good on you on growing it, I will look into that but I am not sure about my climate.
Thanks for this discourse.
Regards,
Haystackneedle

[spacecase0]

not sure about my climate

quinoa like cool but no frost, and not lots of rain
think montana in the summer, or southern california in the winter
if you live in a high heat area that freezes in the winter, then maybe not...

as far as just buying quinoa,
have you tried it ?
or are you also allergic to latex ?
quinoa (less) and amaranth (more) have some latex in them.
some people (usually bitter sensitive people) just don't like it at all.

remember that the people that grew quinoa to live on also grew corn,
and only ate the quinoa when the corn crop failed or for a special occasion.
usually it got made into beer...

[Hystckndle]

On Quinoa:
Oh yeah,
I am eating a good share of it.
It is kind of like plain oatmeal to me,
but some honey mixed in or it mixed in with some vegetables or rice etc etc etc
is better for my tastes.
My climate is not compatible though.

[Lt Dan]

In the process of researching what I have to do to grow most of my own grains. I already grow field corn for chicken feed, but by setting the plates closer on my grain mill I can make corn meal/flour. This fall I want to plant wheat and then oats next year. If it works out for me, that should be most of our cereal grains, if not the chickens will enjoy my efforts.

[spacecase0]

In the process of researching what I have to do to grow most of my own grains. I already grow field corn for chicken feed, but by setting the plates closer on my grain mill I can make corn meal/flour. This fall I want to plant wheat and then oats next year. If it works out for me, that should be most of our cereal grains, if not the chickens will enjoy my efforts.

that is really neat to here you are going to plant a grain crop,
I have been getting ready to do the same,
growing all the food you eat is the ultimate independence

[noworries]

You're gonna get what you pay for.

Unless really broke or a cheapskate, think about the QUALITY of your foodstuffs. The BEST bulk foods there are in the USA are Certified Organics, not cheap; but you are building your immune system, good blood, and enabling less work for your kidneys and liver by eating them. Think these things don't outweigh saving money?

You can probably order almost any item you find at a HealthFood store's bulk section by the 25 or 50 lb bag. Retailer usually will cut you a 5-10% discount and not require payment in advance. Maybe you order 6 bags or more of various items and pay in advance if they give you a cost plus 10% deal? Never know until you ask.

Every county has a County Agricultural Agent. Contact them and find out if there are any Organic Certified farmers in your area. If you are gonna buy direct, buy Best Quality. Another option might be your local "Producers Co-Op" which is usually a seller of all sorts of gear to farmers and a buyer of local crops, especially grains. Then there are feed stores, as already discussed. Just don't buy treated seed. Ask the clerk about what they have that is okay for human consumption. They probably use the good stuff at home.... Ask what stuff they buy and cook with?

Probably more important to have a good salt supply, which means cert organic sea salt. Soy beans are worth storing only if you get stuff that isn't monsanto origin. Legumes like Lentils and Peas are also great

Arrowhead Mills of Hereford Tx is (or used to be) a foremost Organic bulk grain supplier to the HealthFood store industry. Arrowhead had a division called The Simpler Life which was #10 can packed organics for food storage use.

As far as rice goes, the only rice worth buying for storage is Brown rice. Brown rice has nutrition which white rice lacks completely. Serve almost any bean dish over a bed of brown rice and you have a Complete Protein as good as meat, but better for your digestive tract. The Best brown rice for quality and nutrition levels is Organic Short-Grain. Lundberg Farms has about the best product array and is Cert Organic producer in CA. Buy it at Costco.

There is longterm storage, and storage in-pantry for regular kitchen use. We found that we lost little to any pests by putting a couple of Bay Leaves in each 1gal storage jar. Bulk Bay Leaf is a great seasoning, but also helps keep your food ready to use. Nothing worse than having to dump 4 or 5 lbs of something you can't replace due to mites or other infestation.

In closing, consider your food supply to be critical. When there is not doctor, you need to do all you can to improve your health rather than deplete your immune system and organ functioning levels. Costs money to buy anything worth eating. Don't cheat yourself and your family just to save a few bucks....

[goldie40]

You're gonna get what you pay for.

Unless really broke or a cheapskate, think about the QUALITY of your foodstuffs. The BEST bulk foods there are in the USA are Certified Organics, not cheap; but you are building your immune system, good blood, and enabling less work for your kidneys and liver by eating them. Think these things don't outweigh saving money?

Every county has a County Agricultural Agent. Contact them and find out if there are any Organic Certified farmers in your area. If you are gonna buy direct, buy Best Quality. Another option might be your local "Producers Co-Op" which is usually a seller of all sorts of gear to farmers and a buyer of local crops, especially grains. Then there are feed stores, as already discussed. Just don't buy treated seed. Ask the clerk about what they have that is okay for human consumption. They probably use the good stuff at home.... Ask what stuff they buy and cook with?

Probably more important to have a good salt supply, which means cert organic sea salt. Soy beans are worth storing only if you get stuff that isn't monsanto origin. Legumes like Lentils and Peas are also great

Arrowhead Mills of Hereford Tx is (or used to be) a foremost Organic bulk grain supplier to the HealthFood store industry. Arrowhead had a division called The Simpler Life which was #10 can packed organics for food storage use.

As far as rice goes, the only rice worth buying for storage is Brown rice. Brown rice has nutrition which white rice lacks completely. Serve almost any bean dish over a bed of brown rice and you have a Complete Protein as good as meat, but better for your digestive tract. The Best brown rice for quality and nutrition levels is Organic Short-Grain. Lundberg Farms has about the best product array and is Cert Organic producer in CA. Buy it at Costco.

There is longterm storage, and storage in-pantry for regular kitchen use. We found that we lost little to any pests by putting a couple of Bay Leaves in each 1gal storage jar. Bulk Bay Leaf is a great seasoning, but also helps keep your food ready to use. Nothing worse than having to dump 4 or 5 lbs of something you can't replace due to mites or other infestation.

In closing, consider your food supply to be critical. When there is not doctor, you need to do all you can to improve your health rather than deplete your immune system and organ functioning levels. Costs money to buy anything worth eating. Don't cheat yourself and your family just to save a few bucks....

I disagree with all the organic stuff, nothing against it but farmers on both side of me have had their land ceritfied organic which means they have to take a few dirt samples out to the county(they take the samples) and have it tested. they have used the same manure,fertilizer and everything on their land that we have for the past couple hundred yrs. The only difference i can see in "organic" is the fooling of some people(mostly city people) into thinking that they will be healthyer than someone that don't eat organic. the other thing is , I get 30 cents for an apple and they get 60 cents because of the label. I've also seen trucks delivering produce to their farms from out of state and with in minutes, out goes a sign, "local produce" .Some people are easily fooled.
I ofter wonder if those same people will be fighting over a piece of road kill in the yrs to come and if they'll worry about it being organic.

[noworries]

I understand your skepticism. Over the past 5 or 10 years standards for certifying farms as organic have been relaxed due to political and international decisions. Yet, there are many fine companies in the organic foods market that have been operating for over 25 or 40 years and take their food quality Very Seriously. You are likely to find Lundberg, Arrowhead and others who demand pesticide free for 10 yr cropland from their producers, or own and control their operations completely.

Don't got the money to buy organic? You do the best you can. If you got the money though, buying lower quality food is poor economy. Crummy food leads to poor health. White rice tastes good and fills your belly, just like soda. Not like soda is good for you or nutritious in any way, is it?

Still eating beef? Maybe you grow it yourself, but mad cow disease (Kreutzfeldt Jacobs sp?) is real and still hasn't been abated or cured.

Point is, you are what you eat and in a time likely to be severely stressful, you need the best foods you can get to maintain whatever good health you might have.

Got vitamins? Got organic and natural vitamins; or synthesized?

If you have wealth to work with, my advice is Don't Cheat Yourself by buying less than the best quality consumables.
Just about impossible to buy 100lbs of crap-quality dog food these days for under $30. What are you feeding your pets?

[spacecase0]

the real long term solution for all of this is to start growing your own grain crops,
not only do you get quality,
you get a future supply.

[goldie40]

the real long term solution for all of this is to start growing your own grain crops,
not only do you get quality,
you get a future supply.

exactly right, throw in some chickens,some rabbits,a yr around running spring and you can relax.

[AMforPM]

The talk about quinoa made me want to mention how much we like millet. The hens do too.

[stAGgering]

Precisely. A preventative health measure.

The trick played upon Americans has been the reduction of food cost percentage from expendable income. A corporate ponzi scheme. Everywhere else in the world(been there) food costs are 25-35% of expendable income. Ironically, Organic consumers here in the US have been matching the foreign food expenditure and not consuming the petridish prepared foods. Amazingly, those who do eat quality whole foods appear much more physically and mentally prepared. As mentioned elsewhere, targets are applied to healthy and prepared, by those who are neither.

You're gonna get what you pay for.

Unless really broke or a cheapskate, think about the QUALITY of your foodstuffs. The BEST bulk foods there are in the USA are Certified Organics, not cheap; but you are building your immune system, good blood, and enabling less work for your kidneys and liver by eating them. Think these things don't outweigh saving money?

You can probably order almost any item you find at a HealthFood store's bulk section by the 25 or 50 lb bag. Retailer usually will cut you a 5-10% discount and not require payment in advance. Maybe you order 6 bags or more of various items and pay in advance if they give you a cost plus 10% deal? Never know until you ask.

Every county has a County Agricultural Agent. Contact them and find out if there are any Organic Certified farmers in your area. If you are gonna buy direct, buy Best Quality. Another option might be your local "Producers Co-Op" which is usually a seller of all sorts of gear to farmers and a buyer of local crops, especially grains. Then there are feed stores, as already discussed. Just don't buy treated seed. Ask the clerk about what they have that is okay for human consumption. They probably use the good stuff at home.... Ask what stuff they buy and cook with?

Probably more important to have a good salt supply, which means cert organic sea salt. Soy beans are worth storing only if you get stuff that isn't monsanto origin. Legumes like Lentils and Peas are also great

Arrowhead Mills of Hereford Tx is (or used to be) a foremost Organic bulk grain supplier to the HealthFood store industry. Arrowhead had a division called The Simpler Life which was #10 can packed organics for food storage use.

As far as rice goes, the only rice worth buying for storage is Brown rice. Brown rice has nutrition which white rice lacks completely. Serve almost any bean dish over a bed of brown rice and you have a Complete Protein as good as meat, but better for your digestive tract. The Best brown rice for quality and nutrition levels is Organic Short-Grain. Lundberg Farms has about the best product array and is Cert Organic producer in CA. Buy it at Costco.

There is longterm storage, and storage in-pantry for regular kitchen use. We found that we lost little to any pests by putting a couple of Bay Leaves in each 1gal storage jar. Bulk Bay Leaf is a great seasoning, but also helps keep your food ready to use. Nothing worse than having to dump 4 or 5 lbs of something you can't replace due to mites or other infestation.

In closing, consider your food supply to be critical. When there is not doctor, you need to do all you can to improve your health rather than deplete your immune system and organ functioning levels. Costs money to buy anything worth eating. Don't cheat yourself and your family just to save a few bucks....

[spacecase0]

The talk about quinoa made me want to mention how much we like millet. The hens do too.

millet will go dorment if it runs out of water,
it only needs enough water during the growing season,
but not nessarely all at any paticular time,
so it grows in places that can't grow anything else,
because if that, it is cheep when compaired to many other grains
and may be growable without irrigation in an area where you did not think grains can grow on there own.

[CrufflerJJ]

You're gonna get what you pay for.

Unless really broke or a cheapskate, think about the QUALITY of your foodstuffs. The BEST bulk foods there are in the USA are Certified Organics, not cheap; but you are building your immune system, good blood, and enabling less work for your kidneys and liver by eating them. Think these things don't outweigh saving money?
-snip-
Probably more important to have a good salt supply, which means cert organic sea salt. Soy beans are worth storing only if you get stuff that isn't monsanto origin.
-snip-
As far as rice goes, the only rice worth buying for storage is Brown rice. Brown rice has nutrition which white rice lacks completely. Serve almost any bean dish over a bed of brown rice and you have a Complete Protein as good as meat, but better for your digestive tract.
-snip-
There is longterm storage, and storage in-pantry for regular kitchen use. We found that we lost little to any pests by putting a couple of Bay Leaves in each 1gal storage jar.
-snip-

Sorry, but my #1 goal is to have FOOD to eat, not spiffy, kinder, gentler, "cruelty free", free range, organic stuff.

Once basic needs are met, then maybe we can extend to organic foodstuffs.

Brown rice is OK, unless you need to store it for long term (rancidity). Unless you're vacuum packing brown rice that has already been heat treated/parboiled to deactivate the enzymes, you can end up with rancid rice even when stored with oxygen absorbers.

As to bay leaves...maybe better than nothing, but I'd rather trust oxygen absorbers & aluminized Mylar pouches to kill my buggies.

Organic sea salt? Maybe when I start wearing hemp clothing and Birkie clogs. Give me a decent supply of generic cheap iodized table salt, properly stored any day.

[Juristic Person]

Your Ultimate Shelf Life Guide

http://stilltasty.com/

This could help you stretch your food budget and get your finances better in line.

[Argent Dragon]

Just watched the video and it has lots of great ideas I never thought of ~ Fantastic post

thanks

[Oldmansmith]

Organic sea salt? Maybe when I start wearing hemp clothing and Birkie clogs. Give me a decent supply of generic cheap iodized table salt, properly stored any day.

Any salt is better than none, but sea salt contains all the essential trace elements. Our blood contains a very similar spectrum of trace elements to sea water.

[AgShaman]

Lots of good info in this thread....many thanks.

For specialty items, a person can modify their habits as well. I eat alot of oatmeal and drink alot of tea. Creamed honey is my favorite to put in these two items....and honey lasts forever...just ask the pharoahs. Getting it at the grocer's in a 1.5# container will set you back 7 bucks. Calling the family direct and purchasing in buckets (24# and 45#...like the restaurants do) will cost you less than half, then you just scoop as needed into your own container.

Lots of Micro-Breweries in the Inland Northwest...some really good specialty beers. I like the Porters and Ambers especially well...but having a glass at the brew pub or an establishment that carries it will set you back 3 or 4 bucks. If you're gonna be hangin' with friends at private gatherings...having some growlers will lower your costs by at least half or more (growlers are 2L or 64 oz's)....and when you're a scrawny little leprachaun like myself, a little microbrew (7-8% alcohol) goes a long way and you don't have to show up to the brewery to get it filled as most places will accomodate this practice as well....7 or 8 dollar growler....cheap as any fancy six pack at the grocery store.

Curiosity will not kill this Cat!

[Julian]

For those wanting to raise their own grains, this has all the info you need:

http://www.amazon.com/Small-Scale-Gr...dp/1603580778/

I have the first edition, which was getting harder and harder to find, and finally last year Logsdon came out with an updated second edition.

[Lt Dan]

I have the first addition as well, Julian.

I grew enough field corn for my chickens and enough for corn meal besides. We've got a plot of winter wheat just peeking out of the ground now. I've tried soybeans, but the weeds took them over, I lost interest in them due to the rabbits or deer kept eating them off fast as they came on. I also tried buckwheat, but weeds and rabbits got the best of me there too. We'll see how the wheat does.

[stAGgering]

A compound bow + soybeans = steak!
Local talk about people here already buying ammo for food. Scary.

I have the first addition as well, Julian.

I grew enough field corn for my chickens and enough for corn meal besides. We've got a plot of winter wheat just peeking out of the ground now. I've tried soybeans, but the weeds took them over, I lost interest in them due to the rabbits or deer kept eating them off fast as they came on. I also tried buckwheat, but weeds and rabbits got the best of me there too. We'll see how the wheat does.

[Usury]

Back on topic, the OP is really GREAT!!! I've found a local honey producer (got his number from one of the health food stores that he sells to--I told the store that I wanted the honey 5 gal at a time) to contact about bulk honey and I have several restaurants saving buckets for me.

I did also pick up a bag of feed corn from Tractor Supply (CHEAP...like $7 for 50 lbs), but I'm a bit hesitant to eat it...LOL.

[Lt Dan]

I did also pick up a bag of feed corn from Tractor Supply (CHEAP...like $7 for 50 lbs), but I'm a bit hesitant to eat it...LOL.

If you have much land, say a couple acres, you can grow all the field corn you could every use up in a years time, just on a small patch. Just be sure to buy open pollinated seed depending on what variety you like and save your own seed from year to year. The corn from TSC probably won't hurt you, but it's probably not open pollinated and might be genetically altered. Safe probably for grinding into meal, but intended for livestock. The feed wheat that farm supply mills sell is safe enough for grinding into flour, but needs the chafe willowed out. It is not as clean as the stuff you buy for grinding. Makes a person wonder, what they do when they make the flour we buy at the store, if they really clean it that well or just bleach it to make it look nice and white.

Growing your own is about saving even more than what the OP suggests, IMO. Plus you know what the end result is if the crop doesn't fail.

[Lt Dan]

A compound bow + soybeans = steak!
Local talk about people here already buying ammo for food. Scary.

We can use cross bows in season here, but the problem is the neighbors are really too close in the day time and catching the deer here at night would be like sitting out all night and maybe never seeing them. Also, I stay legal with deer. I tried to get the county to issue me a opened permit to kill any deer i saw damaging my property or crops. They did send a guy out to see the damage, but didn't think it warranted a permit. They didn't offer a reimbursement for my loss either.

[Mike Brandt]

So many great tips. Thank you

[quickie]

u have to leach the corn with lime, as in making hominy, or your body can't absorb its nutrients, Rice is a lot easier to fix, lentils have lots more protein. Soy beans are cheap, mostly, and tofu is the staff of life in much of Asia, You need 3 lbs per day of high calorie food, probably 4 lbs of dried grain, if that is all you have. I snare and jerk vension, and put up cans of criso "lard", along with drying my own fruit. Don't make the "pemmican' until you are about ready to eat it. once you open the crisco can, it starts to spoil. the separate, dry ingredients keep much better than the pemmican.

[quickie]

gee, can't POSSIBLY drive out to where the grain IS, or pay someone to do so and ship it to you, right? we are discussing your LIFE vs death, and that's the best you can do? you don't DESERVE to survive, then.

[roadkill]

But if you live in the city, you're still SOL

I will say it again! I commend you for your work however their are food stores in all towns that have all these items canned in Gallon cans 6 for $20 at your Church of Latter Day daints Food stores. I purchase 4 boxes w 24 cgallon cans of beans, rice, wheat and oats for $100. Use your jars for canning meat. I have spent my winter canning meat and will do a class at our local Harvest store. I am not a Mormon but they want me to do a demonstration and since I grew up in Iowa canning everything in site I told them I would. I dry buckets and buckets of fruit all summer and have 2 large dehydrators going nonstop as soon as the cherries are ripe. Then apricots, peaches, apples in addition to canning these. My kids are now in college but they take the dried stuff at every stop at home. In fact sometimes I think that is the only reason I see them every month or so. I think I'll keep it up. They are great kids on scholarships and very self sufficient. SAVE YOUR JARS FOR MEAT! USE QUART NOT GALLON THOUGH!

[Lt Dan]

SAVE YOUR JARS FOR MEAT! USE QUART NOT GALLON THOUGH!

Quarts assume refrigeration once the jar is opened. My wife puts meat in pints, mostly because it goes further that way and we don't have to eat so much of it up at a time. For a larger family situation, quarts would work better. A gallon of meat, feed a small army of big old boys.

[Michael2013]

Thanks for an interesting video, author, but to read the comments was even more helpful. People give real advice from their real life experience. Thanks to all! Payment Service Provider