[family man]

where is the best place to order bulk beans, corn and hard wheat?

the sam's in our area has rice but not the other in bulk.

also what handgridners are you all using?

 

[ken]

beans corn wheat and all that

I bought most of my beans at Sams club.

Corn and wheat, good question. This year locating wheat (make that affordable wheat) has been difficult. It really depends where you live, if you live near the source you probably don't have a problem with either. I have tried to find feed wheat through local feed stores this year, they either cant find it, or dropped the ball. Corn is a problem, the fungus or whatever it is that has contaminated the feed corn, has made using that as a back up supply to grind problematic. The corn has had that problem since about 2000, good enough to feed deer, but not fit for human consumption, according to the feed store.

Corn grinders and grain mills. You can buy a simple tin plated cast steel corn grinder for maybe 20 bucks. A corn mill is simple, will grind corn for chickens in one or two passes, and corn meal with many passes. Corn grinders wont grind wheat fine enough to make decent flour for bread. You need a grain mill for making flour, the finer the better. This is a controversial subject, everyone has their favorite. rather than kicking off a round of (7.62 Vs 223) arguments by stating what I like, my recommendation is to do your homework, read reviews, if possible see one in action and then pay the money. Read about steel burs Vs. stones, high speed Vs. slow speed, etc. Consider how much you might really use the mill, will hand cranking work to meet your needs, or do you need a motor driven unit.

 

[DennisH]

Try honeyville Grain. A bit more expensive than some places, buy shipping is $4.95 and they normally deliver in about a week.

Dennis

 

[fat larry]

Walton’s Feed is good and reliable for purchasing grains and I agree with what Ken said about the grain mills or grinders. I personally have a Family Wheat Grinder that can be used by hand or attached to a motor but it is the only grinder that I have ever had so I don’t know how it compares to others. But it meets my needs.

 

[scorinth]

I've been grinding my own wheat for years using an electric mill I got 15 years ago...this year I broke down and spent the money on an excellent hand mill from Country Living. http://countrylivinggrainmills.com/ I bought the corn attachment as well so I can do that as well as beans, and you can adapt for pedal power.
We have a really great natural foods place (it's huge) where I buy all my grains in 50 lb bags. Since I'm in Alaska, that's really my best source as we don't grown grains commercially here and shipping is ridiculous for trying to buy from Outside.

 

[scorinth]

D'oh -- sorry, double post

 

[countryboy123]

where is the best place to order bulk beans, corn and hard wheat?

the sam's in our area has rice but not the other in bulk.

also what handgridners are you all using?

Wherever you can get it.

My local WalMart has rive in 20 pound bags (occasionally) and pinto beans in 25 pound bags everytime I go there.

My local feed supply store has wheat occasionally. It is used for feed but can be used to human consumption too. This is a lot cheaper than buying from most places.

 

[RubberChickenGirl]

I've been grinding my own wheat for years using an electric mill I got 15 years ago...this year I broke down and spent the money on an excellent hand mill from Country Living. http://countrylivinggrainmills.com/ I bought the corn attachment as well so I can do that as well as beans, and you can adapt for pedal power.
We have a really great natural foods place (it's huge) where I buy all my grains in 50 lb bags. Since I'm in Alaska, that's really my best source as we don't grown grains commercially here and shipping is ridiculous for trying to buy from Outside.

Are you happy with it?

 

[scorinth]

Country Living Mill

Are you happy with it?

Yes, I'm loving it....before my husband died he was the one to run the hand mill I had before the electric one I've been using so long...that old hand mill was tough and slow but made nice flour. This new one is WONDERFUL...the big flywheel makes all the difference and the flour can be milled so fine with much less effort. I only mill what I need for the week as it doesn't keep well so I much prefer it fresh and that is working out well.
I also enjoy getting to grind corn, though that is very expensive to buy up here. Maybe I can talk one of my Kansas cousins into a visit and bring some up for me LOL.

 

[ken]

bean grinders?

Just another few thoughts, about the mill or grinder, and efficiency. In hard times, or any old time, cooking beans is very time and energy intensive. I have to soak beans over night and cook them for hours on end, that is a lot of fuel. The longer beans are stored the more cook time it seems to take. Using your corn grinder to grind the beans would cut the cook time significantly, making re-fried beans. Consider stocking, lintels, they take less cook time and less fuel to prepare. You can use your grain mill to grind rice to flour, use it to supplement your wheat flour, call it wheat stretcher, ha. To save energy I recently started using my pressure cooker to reduce the cook time, and fuel use, especially for beans. Pressure cooking reduces the cook time and fuel use to about a third of the normal cook time. I can cook up a batch of my favorite Basmati rice in 6-7 minutes.

 

[family man]

thanks everyone for their thoughts!

 

[Texas mom]

Here's a link for cooking times of various legumes. Notice that the cooking time for lentils and split peas is listed with no soaking time. However, I soak lentils and split peas and they cook very fast.

http://whatscookingamerica.net/driedbeantip.htm

For flavorings, consider using some combination of fresh onions, bell pepper, garlic, celery, broth (canned or bullion cubes) or meats. Bacon and Sausage go a long way toward flavoring. If cooking from storage, you can use dried garlic powder, onion powder, or minced onion, and salt, of course.

 

[Swamp Shuck]

When buying grains we would go to the local feed mill. Usually you get more local grains there instead of buying at the big box stores where they may be shipped in from China.

We got our grain mill from the Amish. If you have any in the area or even if you have to drive a ways their stores are great to shop at. It's a almost three hour drive to get to the closest Amish store here but we make the trip four time a year. They also sell grains in bulk at Amish stores too.

I was at the garden shop a few days ago and saw an inexpensive grain mill for sale there too. You can check out your local garden shop, or any place that sells canning supplies might be another place to check out. Co-ops and health food stores often carry them too. Then there's just checking with your local hardware store or feed mill to see if they can order you one.

Best of luck.

blt