Best sources for grains?

I tried to find a previous thread about this and while it may exist it must be way back there.

I've been looking into getting into some grains such as wheat, oats, rice, etc. I've been a stockpiler of food for some time now, though I've never had more than a few months supply and it has always been things that get ate anyway. It has been mostly canned food, and a dozen pounds or so each of rice, beans, and oatmeal/cereal. Really, my stockpile has never amounted to anymore than "country folks" often keep around.

As an aside I remember my grandparents (depression era cotton pickers) keeping enough food on hand to make the most obsessed prepper envious. In their day keeping enough food to feed a dozen people for 9 months was just part of daily life. Even in retirement they kept up that practice.

Anyway, I've researched all the easy to find sites and I see that wheat sells for about $1.25-$1.60/lb. Other grains and legumes are a little higher. I'd like to get some recommendations on the cheapest sources, as well as best practices. I'm familiar with storage using mylar and O2 absorbers as well as environmental conditions. I'd like the kind of insight that comes from having gone this route, and the lessons learned from doing so.

Thanks in advance.

Originally posted by Erectus
I tried to find a previous thread about this and while it may exist it must be way back there.

I've been looking into getting into some grains such as wheat, oats, rice, etc. I've been a stockpiler of food for some time now, though I've never had more than a few months supply and it has always been things that get ate anyway. It has been mostly canned food, and a dozen pounds or so each of rice, beans, and oatmeal/cereal. Really, my stockpile has never amounted to anymore than "country folks" often keep around.

As an aside I remember my grandparents (depression era cotton pickers) keeping enough food on hand to make the most obsessed prepper envious. In their day keeping enough food to feed a dozen people for 9 months was just part of daily life. Even in retirement they kept up that practice.

Anyway, I've researched all the easy to find sites and I see that wheat sells for about $1.25-$1.60/lb. Other grains and legumes are a little higher. I'd like to get some recommendations on the cheapest sources, as well as best practices. I'm familiar with storage using mylar and O2 absorbers as well as environmental conditions. I'd like the kind of insight that comes from having gone this route, and the lessons learned from doing so.

Thanks in advance.

edit on 12-6-2012 by Erectus because: (no reason given)

edit on 12-6-2012 by Erectus because: spelling correction

this is really cool.


i feel bad how old people know all this cool stuff, and its like everyone hasn't even learned anything from them at all.

old people KNOW STUFF.

they can be pretty cool.

the best place to get grains is at a gun store...
a 30:06 with 180 grains of lead is nice
oh
you ment like wheat..
ooops..

reply to post by Danbones

reply to post by Danbones


actually now that i think of it,, what an excellent merchadising idea.

Start doing a little research - you're better off not eating any grains at all unless it's a choice between grains & starvation. Grains mess up your immune system, make your thinking sluggish, and contribute to heart disease (and so on & so on & so on....).

None of these are things you want going on if you're in a situation where you need your best health & your wits about you.

There are some pretty good non grains
like
Cattail pollen
or

Coconut Flour Pancakes ..

I also used my own proportions and didn't follow a recipe online, just to see what I could come up with myself. Longer story a little shorter, my husband thought they were great and didn't think they tasted like coconut. I know he's telling me the truth because there were no dry heaves after he took a bite. He ate the whole plate I served him, three pancakes total*. And me? I thought they were delicious and ate the rest of them. =) There was nothing left over to freeze for later, ha!

nopainnograin.blogspot.ca...

Almond Bread - No Grains - No Flour - No Gluten - Low Carb

www.food.com...

Some decades ago a friend's family was Latter-Day Saints (Mormon) and it has long been an encouraged practice to keep a year's supply of food and water for a coming SHTF scenario. Through their church the were able to buy food and grains (for example red wheat comes to mind) packaged in #10 cans that were ideal for storage.

I have not yet checked into buying from that source, whether they only sell to members or how to contact them for that purpose. I would appreciate anyone's comments about that. I believe there is a Mormon church nearby in the Mexico town I live in and I have been contemplating making contact with them for information. Having a reserve food supply in your home is/was a very important policy for them. I expect they have much useful information available as to menu planning, storage, etc.

reply to post by Erectus


Your local feed store.
Sure it is packaged for animals but it comes from the same place all of the other stuff does.
Put it in mylar and some home depot buckets, in 30 years spend another $200 for new stuff.
No harm no foul, even though packaged for animals, you'd be surprised what you'd eat if you were starving.


@Danbones, yer killin me smalls!

I've heard of using animal feed. I have to say if it came down to it I'd eat the stuff. A USDA stamp would be nice to see on the bag, though.

I've heard of people getting in with the Mormons on their food shipments and we do have a Mormon church here in my town. I've also heard of people forming a group so they can buy it in wholesale quantities.

I wish we grew more grain in Arkansas. Aside from GMO field corn, a whole bunch of rice, and a little soft wheat we don't grow much grain here. Otherwise I'd get what I wanted from the source.

I'm also concerned about moisture content. I believe the stuff sold packaged for long term storage has a low moisture content down around 2-3%. If I buy it bagged I'd want to make sure the moisture was low before I packaged it.

LDS pantry.. check for one in your area. Provident living I believe its called. Most pantries you dont have to be a mormon or a member. Just call and ask, theyre very nice and very helpful. They opened their doors to all around here when the economy went to crap. Get it and repackage it in mylar or use a food saver that vacuum packs stuff if you want to buy bulk.

I dont eat a lot of grains and most people shouldnt. Google about it.

reply to post by Erectus

I've been a stockpiler of food for some time now, though I've never had more than a few months supply and it has always been things that get ate anyway. It has been mostly canned food, and a dozen pounds or so each of rice, beans, and oatmeal/cereal. Really, my stockpile has never amounted to anymore than "country folks" often keep around.

Then you're doing exactly the right thing...

As for cheap...Sam's Club. Stick with your food buckets, mylar bags, and absorbers, but get your bulk food at Sam's Club and fill the things.

I think most DON'T do what you do (rotate, and USE the stockpile), and that's really not the best way to go. (Plus, if there is a need to actually use it in an Emergency, you're not going to have to deal with stomach issues due to diet change...as no real change for you).

"country folks" are used to being self-sufficient and prepping for bad times. More could learn from them.

The rotation of food in my house is really done almost without conscious effort. I don't pay too much attention to it. Every few months I stock up on some things and move it to the back of the cabinet or put it in my closet until I'm completely out of that product in my cabinets.

But I'd like to expand my stores to include what I call deep storage items. I want some stuff that I can put away and not worry about. If after 7 or 10 years I haven't used it I can throw it away if it is bad and just spend a few hundred dollars replacing it.

Beans and grains seem like the obvious choice to me. Canned cheese and textured vegetable protein as "taco meat" oughta go over nicely, too. Imagine tacos with cheese during hard times. What a psychological boost.

We bake our own bread in my house, but we don't use just whole wheat. We mix it at about a 50/50 ratio with refined bread flour. Why? Because we like it better that way. So it'll take a little practice to turn out pure whole wheat breads that we like.

Grains and legumes are awesome as a storage item because they are cheap and can make up 60-70% of a persons diet and still maintain health.

reply to post by Erectus


I see where you're going...

When I last researched this (just a couple of weeks ago, actually)...I found the following lasted 10 years +
(when stored properly, like in the mylar, with the O2 absorbers, in the buckets)

Rice
Oats
Pasta
Potato Flakes
Beans
Flour
Sugar
Almost all other grains

There are others, but the above I most remember, because they are things my family and I will actually eat and rotate through. (even though no need to rotate these really). I'm a big fan of the rice and pasta, as it will help stretch out the meat supply in meals.

There are some professional emergency great canned options for preserved meats that will last a long time until opened, but the good ones are pretty pricey. Worth it though. Just harder for me to "sell" to the wife, as something we need. (whereas the other stuff is cheaper).