Bulk Food Storage

Many of us purchase and store our food supplies in bulk.  Even Myrna and I do this, although our families are smaller now.  We both purchase staples at Costco or Sam’s and the nearby Iowa Amish groceries like Stringtown near Iowa City and the Dutchman’s in Cantrill, saving over the price of smaller packages.  The other advantage is that these stores have a fast turnover on basic staples, so we don’t get flour with pests, for example. I also can often afford better quality for the price when I purchase this way.  I agree with Myrna that good quality ingredients are worth my time and effort to prepare.
This week I purchased all-purpose flour that I like for 32¢ per pound in a 25 pound bag, and 15# of parboiled (like Uncle Ben’s) rice for 39¢ a pound….much cheaper than in our local groceries.  I use 2-5# of flour each week for noodles, bread and other baking, so I keep more on hand than some folks, like Myrna. 
It's the Pantry Principle; I restock my pantry instead of buying around a set menu.  I try to keep 3-6 months on hand of basic staples to keep our trips minimal.  Of course, I also can regularly to take advantage of meat sales and the garden, as well a dehydrating.  I also freeze butter and lard (not commercial lard).  I do keep molasses, maple syrup and honey in a little larger quantity too.
Some things I don't keep on hand in large quantities are fats and oils that I don't use fast enough and other items I use infrequently like some spices.  I also don't overstock frozen vegetables, for example, the quality deteriorates and they go on sale often.  
There isn't much reason to stock anything your family doesn't like or that you'll get tired of before you use it.  Sometimes it pays to share larger purchases. You'll see I don't buy and store little packages of mixes...too much wasteful packaging, ingredients we don't want to eat, not versatile enough and too expensive.  I don't stock snack foods except popcorn.  I make granola if we want dry cereal.
Many of these items are in packaging that isn't suitable for longer storage.  Plastic bags, in particular, are susceptible to tearing or puncturing so we repackage in more suitable containers.  

I especially like 5 gallon food-safe buckets with “gamma seal lids” for larger quantities.  These lids simply twist to open, making the buckets easy to use for flour, sugar and the like.  A 5 gallon bucket holds about 30 pounds of flour or white sugar.  I fill one with bags of brown and powdered sugar.

I also use square Rubbermaid commercial storage containers I purchased at Sam’s at a good price in 4 and 6 quart sizes (and available on-line in even larger sizes), and the taller container is from King Arthur Flour, and holds about 10# of flour or 13# of rice.  The taller containers are fairly expensive and I plan to purchase 2 gallon buckets with gamma lids next time I need some this size instead.  All of these containers stack easily to save floor space.

I don’t store so much that I need oxygen absorbers in the containers, but they are available for grains or home dehydrated foods especially.

Canning Jars, like half gallon ones I purchase at our local farm store are also very convenient for storing those bulk packages of things like chocolate chips, powdered milk and coconut.  Wide mouth quarts are also good for storage.  I can buy one-piece metal lids with an integral gasket for glass jars at the Amish stores.  I like them better than the plastic Ball storage lids because they won’t leak if tipped, especially liquids.  Used canning lids also work for storage - mark them as used. 
Popcorn-type metal canisters work especially well, keeping out light and pests, and are good if rodents might be a problem. 

Institutional 2,3 and 5 gallon glass or plastic jars are a real find if you have a source available.  Myrna has some nice jars this size she purchased.

Remember to use "food-safe" buckets, plastic bags, and containers.  Trash bags, for instance, are treated with pesticides and not suitable for food storage.  Your choices may depend on your budget, availability, your storage area (metal may rust in damp basements, for instance) and food preferences.

We keep our supplies in our pantry and closets that aren’t too hot, and our laundry room…We don’t have a basement like we used to or a root cellar like my brother-in-law, Don, who also first showed me the buckets with Gamma lids.  We use sturdy chrome shelving - it's easy to move and adjust, but more expensive than sturdy homemade shelving like our Mom had in her "fruit room".  
Some things, like powdered milk, I keep refrigerated for better quality and taste.  I keep a clipboard with a list of staples hanging inside the pantry door and try…mostly with success…to keep up with our inventory.  I also mark the labels when I remove staples to kitchen containers.  
I mark containers with the date of purchase; I can see how fast we use the item and adjust my buying accordingly. Before a big “stock-up” trip, I check our inventory so I don’t buy too much of any one thing.

As prices seem to be rising for the foreseeable future, with some market experts thinking food prices won’t recover until the 2014 or 2015 harvest seasons, it appears that investing in “commodities”; even on a small scale, will pay off.

In the house of the wise are stores of choice food and oil, but a foolish man devours all he has. Proverbs 21:20