Friday, November 1, 2013

Beachy's Baby!

 So we made a desparate trip to Amish country yesterday....I was out of almost everything I buy there.  So despite the rainy, "stormy" (wasn't really that bad) weather and having to take all the kids along (which I rarely do)...off we went.

And I stocked up!  I'm ready for winter.  We get a few deer in the freezer and we'll be eating good all winter.  If I'd only been able to can/freeze more produce, I would only have to buy fresh produce, and dairy all winter....so cool!

This is what I got (with approximate weights):


  • white flour(50 lbs)
    • I make all our breads/grains from scratch - bread, bagels, pizza crust, muffins and scones, pretzels,waffles, pancakes,etc etc etc
  • whole wheat flour (50  lbs)
    • Almost all our grains are at least 50% whole grain.  So this is used with the white flour above
  • rye flour  (2.5 lbs)
    • our favorite bread calls for 1/2 cup of rye flour....that's all I use rye for
  • grape nuts (7lbs)
    • A's favorite breakfast is quick oats and grapenuts mixed 50/50 with milk and cooked in the micro....add some brown sugar.  YUM
  • quick oats (15 lbs)
    • breakfast cereal, cookies, granola bars, baking
  • rolled oats (7 lbs)
    • I like rolled oats better than quick oats so I make these for breakfast sometimes....also for baking
  • steel cut oats  (2.5 lbs)
    • with these I can make oats overnight in the crockpot without it all turning to mush.
  • cream of wheat (2 lbs)
    • ummm, breakfast
  • wagon wheel pasta (1 lb)
    • I got these for fun.  I'll use them for tuna casserole.  But only cause we were up there and it is on the menu.
  • orzo pasta (1 lb)
    • spaghettios
  • those crunchy noodles like on a salad bar (1lb)
    • on salad  :)
  • yeast
    • bulk yeast is the ONLY way to buy it if you bake often.  I got just shy of a pound (in those plastic tubs that you get potato salad in at the deli) for $3.25.  This is enough to make I don't even know how many yeast breads.  Between bulk yeast and flour I can really really save a lot on our bread products plus they are GOOD!
  • cinnamon
    • um, it's cinnamon....also bulk like the yeast.  
  • chili powder
    • also bulk like the other.  Actually it is worth nothing that I buy ALL my spices at beachys in bulk.  The prices are great and the spice is wonderful.  I have a big basket of spices in my freezer keeping them fresh a little longer.  The only thing I have been a bit dissappointed in was the curry....and I don't cook with curry often so it totally could have been my cooking or my recipe.
  • REAL vanilla
    • pretty self explanatory I would think  ;)
  • a vanilla bean
    • This was a new thing I found there.  SO EXCITED!  I will buy good vodka and put this in a bottle with it.  By Christmas I will have beautiful, home made, tasty vanilla.  Then as I use it I will just top the bottle off with more vodka....and I'll have a "never ending" supply of good real vanilla.
  • pearled barley
    • I sub this in for pasta in a any soup that calls for small pasta (ie minestrone).  It not only adds a good (whole?) grain....but it makes it reheat better.  Unlike pasta the barley seems to stop absorbing water so when you reheat it is still souplike rather than a pasty overcook pasta goupy mess Can you tell I feel strongly about this? :)
  • brown sugar
    • oatmeal in the mornings, baking, etc
  • sea salt
    • basic cooking and table salt
  • loaf of Amish made bread
    • supper last night :)
  • potato soup mix
    • supper last night :)
  • regular muffin papers
    • I use these A LOT!  For baking and freezing muffins.  I found these for less than a penny each
  • mini muffin papers
    • same as the regular muffin papers
  • dry black beans (2 lbs)
    • I cook these down in a crockpot and then freeze in 2 cup portions and use for tacos, soups, etc.  
  • dry red beans (2 lbs)
    • same thing as the black beans
  • walnuts
    • M requested these although I'm sure he won't eat them.  I like them so it'll all be good (I put them in my favorite oatmeal-apple pie oatmeal-YUM!)

  • blueberry honey 
    • this was a treat.  We'll use it in our homemade honey 
  • dry milk powder (1.5 lbs)
    • I add 1/4 cup or so to thicken up my home made yogurt.
  • corn meal (3 lbs)
    • corn bread,  special yeast bread, under pizza crust
  • coconut oil (1 gallon)
    • baking (anything that says Crisco-gag!), greasing pans, washing my face, essential oil dilution, etc etc etc
  • cheese curds
    • snack - except I accidentally bought ranch cheddar.  It is ok but not what I wanted.  grrr
  • popcorn (1 gallon)
    • MOVIE NIGHT!  :)
  • "oil cups"
    • I don't know what to call these but they are the 12 white things in the front,center of the pic.  They look like what carmex comes in kinda....I am using them to mix and store some essential oil blends we use frequently so I don't have to mix all the time.
  • straws
    • Um......


Here's the haul.  Not pictured are the 2 fifty lbs bags of flour.  They are heavy and they look like dog food bags.  seriously.  I've gotta repackage all this for good long term storage.  And then to start baking!!!!!  :)

4 comments:

  1. Cool! Next post.... how do you repackage it all, and how/where do you store it?

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  2. Where do you store that much flour? I LOVE Beachy's, but I'm short on storage space.

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  3. I have two 5 gallon buckets with sealed lids that the school system gets strawberries or something in. My mom subs in the kitchen and was able to snag them for me. I wish I could get 4-6 more. There is always a booth at the homeschool convention that has food storage buckets. I may work them into my budget this year. Anyway, one of those has white and one has whole wheat flour. (they slide under my counter where the dishwasher used to be and hide behind a little curtain I made). The rest of the 50 lb bag is divided into TWO gallon sized freezer bags (I've only ever found these at Martins IGA). After filling the buckets, it took 3 bags per flour to get it all stored. It then goes into my deep freeze. I do the same (2 gallon ziplock bags) for the oats. The rest goes into lock and lock brand containers in my kitchen cabinets. They seal REALLY well (no question about if they sealed or not) and stack beautifully. I have them in all sizes! But ALL square! I'll take pictures and post one of these days. Remind me. :)

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  4. I have been wanting to go to Beachy's but haven't yet? Can you give me an idea of prices there? I have to budget for it so thought I would ask before I make the trip up there. Thanks!!!!

    ReplyDelete