idiot's guide to buying wheat

[caml]

So I am back to trying find out where and how to buy wheat. I have asked repeatedly in the branch for where I can buy some, I only get strange looks, blank stares and "the woman who moved had organized that for us years ago." :glare: I tried emailing the stake, no reply. I have asked the RS pres over and over about the stake canner, no one knows where it is...... Apparently this is a challenge I'm supposed to figure out on my own.

So, there is a family feed store locally. They sell feed like oats, flax and such. They also sell seed by weight or in bulk. I might be able to buy something from him. Is there a difference between these grains primarily meant for animals, or spring planting and grains sold for human use and consumption?

Some wise person out there must know or have a link to someone that does, pretty please with sugar on top :a0 (21):.

[Gingersnap]

There is a difference in grains - those meant for planting haven often been treated with a chemical that discourages fungus or something, but not healthy for us. Where are you located? You can order in bulk from Walton Feed (i think anywhere in US) or be on a delivery drop from Azure
Standard in the Western US. What state are you in?

You can store wheat in buckets with dry ice, the canner is great, but you need cans and lids to make it work, also the cans add about 1.15 to the cost of each can of wheat with oxygen packet, etc.

Where are you and how much are you wanting to store? I can be more specific in my help with more information.

As a side note, a few friends at church who are not as interested in the fluffier RS interest group offerings are forming up a group to address these specific needs. It might be that you can send around a sign-up sheet in your branch and stake to gather out those that interested in the same goals and work together. It is so much more effective to pool everyone's knowledge and abilities than go it alone. I wish we were in the same area, I would be so happy to help you!

[caml]

I'm on the eastern sea board of Canada. The closest church storehouse is two provinces away. So that option is out. There are import limitations from the states that make that a very expensive option. How much I can store really depends on how much it will cost me. I've been trying to find reasonable containers close to home, but have given up on that. I've been looking at ordering some nifty square pails on line. If the lid has a gasket, is it airtight?

Our branch RS is very small. We couldn't even get the group that started the baby quilt to finish it :cry:. I might just have to try and get wheat at a bulk food store, but I'm afraid I'll be paying alot more than I should and who knows what quality I'll get after everybody has sneezed on it and let their kids run thief fingers through it.

I was hoping to use the canner on some powdered milk I have. Maybe I'll need to use it sooner than later anyway.

Better yet, the zombie assault vehicle is for sale (an old RV my hubby and I have been joking about forever). May it's a sign from heaven we are supposed to spend our money on it instead:lol (2):

[mirkwood]

I've got a friend up in Canada. Let me get in touch with her and see how they order wheat etc.

[Justme]

Concerning the quality and safety of wheat bought from open bulk bins - good question, in all the years I have been studying food storage I have never considered this, probably because I have always been able to buy it in containers. But I would think that those retailers have to try to maintain some protection for the food. The store in our area that sells bulk has clear, plastic lids over the bins that you lift when you dip out the amount you want. Also, as the wheat is very dry and the fact that you mostly cook it before consuming it would help I think. I might not use it for sprouting as sprouts can be easily contaminated.

I looked at the Utah State University site as they are just about the oldest and most thorough researchers of food storage but couldn't find an answer but here is contact information for them. They are usually really good about answering questions. Hope this helps.

http://extension.usu.edu/foodsafety/htm/contact

[Ligure]

I'm on the eastern sea board of Canada.

Cool! I went on my mission to Quebec. I so rarely hear of saints from eastern Canada that you made my ears perk up. I know that the life of LDS can be difficult in that region in terms of fellowship and resources.

Ligure

[signseeker]

What about focusing on other stuff that you CAN get access to? Rice, maybe? I love rice and I know that can store for a long time and is very versatile. Dry beans? There's lots of stuff to store besides wheat. Maybe I'm just a quitter, but on the other hand maybe I don't like hitting my head on the same wall over and over... :banghead: Survivors are flexible that way. :thumbsup:

[caml]

I got lots and lots of rice. I found a good sale and stocked up. One of my kids doesn't like rice. I think its the same kid who doesn't like beans. I need to get some more of those, but I found a good place to buy them. This same kid really likes bread though.

Maybe if I could just figure out what lesson I'm suppossed to learn, I could get over the stumbling blocks that always seem to pop up when I try to work on the longer term stuff like wheat.

[mgriffith]

This summer there will probably be a large impact in food prices as a result of a poor harvest of winter wheat. I don't know what will happen, but you can look for yourself at these two charts. The first is the areas where wheat is grown, the second areas that are suffering a severe drought. Notice how the production areas for hard winter wheat are also experiencing severe drought. Flip back and forth between the two charts.

You can work it out, I'm sure.

Mark

[thomasusa]

The Costco hard red wheat in superpails has jumped up from about $13.50 to about $16.50. But I still like that option because I like how it is packed.

[phylm]

You might try providentliving.org It is a church site and you can get the cannery price lists there. In Provident Living, click onto the Family Storage site. It will give you the Canadian list site . Click pdf and the order form with Canadian prices will come right up. I've no idea if you can get it shipped from there, but it may get you headed in the right direction.

If you can find people who would also like to purchase basics at cost, maybe you can get a group trip arranged to the church cannery. Non-members are welcome. We have a 2 1/2 hour trip to our cannery, and we usually have others go with us.

[phylm]

Cami,
Do you have the "Big Box" stores like Sam's Club or Costco there? Their flour is not that much more expensive than at the cannery. They also have 50 pound bags of popcorn to grind for corn meal. Here, we can beg food grade pails and gasketed lids from delis and bakeries for free. Wash them well, dry them and pour in flour, rice, or pasta, etc. and put in 4 or 5 oxygen absorbing packets before closing them tight. Those oxygen packs are available at the Family Storage site. Or, you can put dry ice in the bottom, add the product, and let it "breathe" before closing. We did that with the food grade 62 gallon barrels we were fortunate enough to find.

I think Noah's Ark just ordered the oxygen packets from this site. Maybe she'll let us know how she did it.

[Gingersnap]

Wow CAML, there is so much collective knowledge on this site - wonderful! I learned alot from these posts. You could try the prep store in Cardston, Alberta, they might not have the US import costs, and I think that is an area that grows quite a bit of wheat.

As a side note, I have so many miracle stories for food storage that have occurred for friends, family, and me over the years that I can also advise you to 1) make a list of what you need, then 2) pray and ask the Lord for help and then, 3) an amazing thing will happen and you will know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Lord truly wants us to have our year supply (I have no doubt about your faith from your many inspiring and thoughtful posts).

A friend of small means (young/in the military) had been sick years before and had been refused coverage by the medical insurance. When she started to work on her storage, 3 years later her insurance company began sending her check almost weekly to cover her previous bills that she had paid out of pocket. It covered a year supply.

My sister calculated how much she needed for her year supply and her husband jokingly (maybe not so much) that if he got a check in the mail for that amount, she could have it for the year supply. The next day there was a check in the mail for an expense incurred years before in that exact amount (within a few dollars).

I had several items on my storage list about 10 years ago. (You all know about lists I am sure!!!) My husband wanted to go to a sporting goods store and look at something boring (like ammo or something) and right there hanging up were exactly the things I had on my list, they had all just been marked down to $.99 from 10.00-15.00 each. I asked the attendant if they would no longer be carrying these basic items, and he said, there was a memo sent out today to mark them down to that price and that they were getting a new shipment in the next few days and they would be marked at the regular price (same item/brand). I knew this was not a coincidence, but it made me smile that the Lord was teaching that nothing is too small or inconsequential for His help.

Provident living, scripture study, and genealogy are the commandments of the gospel where I have received miraculous confirmations that our efforts are the Lord's will and that my efforts are magnified beyond all imagination. I am so grateful, otherwise this would all be so overwhelming if I had to depend on my own puny strength and knowledge.

[Justme]

Thanks for those examples of faith and miracles, Gingersnap. I hope it is OK that I sent them to my children to read. Guess I should have asked first.

I have just been re-reading the Small Miracles books that I read years ago. Just pulled them out of my library to read in bed, easy to go to sleep by, don't have to worry myself awake after reading them. I am surprised at how I needed the to be reminded that miracles do occur. I was really in need of that reminder and now your examples added to that.

I'll say a prayer for you too, Caml.

[DMGNUT]

Gingersnap, Way cool stories!

[Justme]

I know that this isn't a thread about miracles but this coincidence after reading Gingersnaps stories was just too coincidental. My daughter is almost the sole breadwinner in her family at this time as her husband is in the construction business, gets only a few little fix-it jobs here and there. They are expecting their first baby and are wondering what they are going to do. They are very frugal and saving all they can for they will need it when she takes some time off. They are hoping he gets a steady job so she can stay home at least part time. Today, yes, today she told me they had made a list of what would be essential for the baby and added up the prices. They haven't purchased anything yet. Today a check came in the mail for some work her husband had done quite some time ago. They weren't expecting the check. When they looked at the total it matched their needs for the baby to the penny! There faithfulness and willingness to start a family in these uncertain circumstances has brought blessings. I am sure they will continue. I'm also sure we can all be prepared if we do what we need to with faith and work.