Grains are an important part of your storage. Wheat, rice, and oats are just a few of the grains that you might have in your storage.

 

How Buying in Bulk Saves You Money: Part 2 in my Eat for 40 Cents a Day series

How to understand Different Types of Flours

This includes wheat, potato, soy, and rice flours, as well as different types of wheat flours

Wheat flours: a difference

A History of the types of Wheat

Why store grains:

The Hows and Whys of Milling Your Own Flour

This also gives the gluten contents of different types of flours, be they barley, rice, millet, oats, etc. See the chart on the bottom of the page.

The Wheat Foods Council

Education for children and adults about wheat and the importance of grains in our diet.

Sources

The following sources are places where you can order grains in bulk (including storage buckets, powdered milk, dried fruits and vegetables, etc). If you are looking for organic grains, brown rice, steel cut oats, etc, many of these companies carry these as well. Please note: I am not up to date on who has the best prices. You will need to research prices yourself to see what is the best deal, including shipping costs, to you.

Pleasant Hill Grain

A source for wheat grinders and many other useful things, such as cider presses, Bosch Mixers, juicers, dehydrators, and meat slicers (make your own lunch meat!). They also have good descriptions of their wheat grinders. I have been very pleased with the service from this company. They also sell wheat. They ship very quickly and are in the midwest.

Walton Feed

A source for wheat, oats, and other items. They are one of the least expensive sources, but shipping may be high, depending on where you live. They are in Idaho. If you have a very large group or multi-group order, you can have them send a truck out to you for a reduced shipping rate (this usually takes a few months). I highly recommend the following items from them:

 

Honeyville Grain

This company sells all sorts of food storage items, and ships your entire order for $4.95, irregardless of weight. However, their prices are higher because of that. They occasionally email customers about sales, so get on their mailing list to check for upcoming deals.

Azure Standard

You’ll need to create an account to see their prices. I have not ordered from them but have heard they have a drop off point in Las Vegas (as well as several cities; check it out on their website). They have a minimum $50 order. They also sell bulk produce. They are out of Oregon.

 

Locally you may have options as well. Winco grocery stores, Sam’s Club, Costco, and BJ’s carry bulk items. If you have a local LDS cannery, you can purchase items in bulk there as well. I currently buy my bulk items at Winco (oats), Sam’s Club (rice, sugar, bread flour, all-purpose flour), and the LDS cannery (pinto, black beans, and white beans).

 

If you live east of the Mississippi, shipping costs can be significant. You may find less expensive options for buying grains by buying from a local Amish store or getting involved in a co-op.

Here is another option for you as well:

Country Life Natural Foods

Gamma lids, bulk foods, and in Michigan.

 

 

Storing Your Bulk Supplies

I store my bulk items in food grade buckets and I use Gamma lids for buckets that I open on a regular basis, including oats, rice, flour, beans, sugar, wheat, and popcorn. You can sometimes get 3 gallon sized buckets (the small bucket with the blue lid in the photo above) for free from your local grocery store bakery. Ask for the icing buckets. You’ll need to give them a good wash first.

 

 

Wheat Grinders

I am often asked for a wheat grinder recommendation.

I have two grain mills. One is electric, and it is the NutriMill .

I chose it because it is the quietest one out there (it’s still loud, but much less so than the others I have heard). It grinds a lot at once if you want it to. It does not crack wheat; it just makes flour. It does grind beans, corn, and other things, but I have never used it for those (well, not yet, anyhow!)

I also have a Country Living Grain Mill (non-electric) for emergencies. It is expensive, but it is supposed to do the job; I know people who have just one of these and they say it’s a bit of work, but they do a decent job. I have heard bad things about other hand grinders that really only crack the wheat, but don’t make flour.

Whatever you do, do NOT buy the Kitchen Aid Attachment grinder–they can EASILY burn out your motor. A friend of mine bought one and regretted it.

I bought both of mine from Pleasant Hill Grain. Check out what they have to say here.

and then Google the grinders you think you want and see what other people are saying about them. (The service at Pleasant Hill was really good, and they shipped really quickly). You can also buy from Amazon; the link under the picture will take you there, and there is no shipping charge. (It also blesses me; if you are so inclined).

 

L’Equip 760200 NutriMill Grain Mill

There are less expensive mills out there. At the time I bought these, I had the cash to do it. I have heard a lot of good things about the Nutrimill, though. Here is an article I read that helped me to make my decision to buy iT.

My sister-in-law really likes her mill, and it is a lot less money. She has this one:

KTEC Grain and Flour Mill