Frugal Kitchens 101 - General Bulk Buying Tips

Last week I discussed how bulk buying could save you money as well as the types of places to shop at for your bulk food purchases. Today I will share some general bulk food buying tips to help make your experience enjoyable.

1. plan ahead - Quite often you will have to drive out of your way to get to a good bulk food source. If you are planning on going to a poultry processing plant factory outlet find out their hours ahead of time and plot the trip to maximize the trip to include other bulk food sources stops on your route. Print out a map with the route clearly marked along with each stop. Don't forget to bring a list of what you want at each stop. Plan so frozen foods are picked up on your last stop if possible.
2. containers - When picking up meat from abattoirs and butcher shops bring sturdy cardboard boxes or re-usable plastic bins. If you are bringing large quantities of frozen meats home in warmer months bring an old heavy comforter to cover the boxes of meat. This will act as an insulator. When shopping farmer's markets, farm stands and U-picks bring your own bags. When shopping U-picks bring your own picking containers. They will weigh the container before picking then again after picking. I find a heavy plastic food grade pail is good for this purpose.
3. miscellaneous supplies - I have been known to entirely fill the back seat, the trunk, the back floor, the passenger floor and passenger seat when making a bulk shopping trip on my own especially if I make a stop at a nursery or two. That means seat and floor protection is a must! I use old blankets, towels and large yard rubbish bags to protect both the seats and floor inside the car.
4. personal prep - You will likely be getting in and out of your vehicle several times in one bulk food gathering trip. Wear comfortable clothing you don't mind getting soiled. Trust me tomato hamper are not clean and you can't lift one without getting dirty. If going to a U-pick use sun block and cover your arms and legs with long, light fabric clothing to protect against sun and insects. Bring a large brimmed hat. Shoes should be comfortable running shoes (sneakers) not sandles for these types of trips. Bring two or three bottles of water in refillable water bottles and a lunch if you will be most of the day.
5. timing - Try to time things so you are picking up frozen foods last and do any U-pick before adding any fresh plants to your purchases. Remember all that food has to be put away when you get home so do make your return so late that you are exhausted. When you get home try to work in an organized fashion. Put freezer and perishables away first but remember you can likely put them away as is then divide down or process later.