Buying in Bulk

[ImaCannin]

There is a web site called Azure Standard, where you can order organic food in bulk or singles online and it is delivered locally- free too!
https://www.azurestandard.com/

How it works: go online and set up your account. Pick your drop off location. Choose how you want to pay - via credit card or in cash when it’s delivered. Make your order.
When you put your order in, you can add to or take away until the cut off date.

Their prices are very comparable to Natural Grocers - a discount natural food store.

I have had issues with freshness trying to buy in bulk locally . Azure Standard has a high turn over of product and I have never gotten anything remotely close to the expiration date.

Buying in bulk saves so much money . I can have 25 lb bag of Organic Gluten Free Rolled Oats put in canning jars or vacuum bags and vacuum sealed in about 30 minutes. For 41.25 I can have enough oats for 12 weeks breakfast for 2.

I like to put my food in canning jars and vacuum seal the lid on. It’s rodent proof and if the seal doesn’t hold , with the ring on tight it still keeps air out. Lately, it’s hard to find canning jars. While helping others with food storage, I have been using the vacuum seal bags. I have found that the food saver bags work best, and I have 98% success rate, but they cost double what other brands do. I bought a few different brands from Online and found that Avid Armor brand works really well at about half the cost. I have had a few failures but I think it was my vacuum sealers fault as I had vacuum sealed a lot of bags and the sealer heat strip cooled off . But it’s always safe to not put your sealed bags in the pantry for a day, to make sure the seal held.
https://www.amazon.com/Storage-Comme...s%2C293&sr=8-8

I also used Nesco vacuum bags purchased at WalMart. They worked good. The price was in between the most expensive and cheapest. ( I just looked them up on Amazon and they are cheaper than in store Walmart)
https://www.amazon.com/NESCO-VS-07V-...17&sr=8-4&th=1

I used a few other brands bought on Amazon and I had about 50% failure rate.
I also tried mylar bags and 90% fail rate.


Air brake bleeder for off grid vacuum sealing in jars.
https://www.amazon.com/ABN-Universal...s%2C791&sr=8-4

Weston vacuum sealer. I bought one of these in 2008. It lasted 10 years. I was never happy with the heat strip as it didnt seaI well, so I mostly used it for sucking the air out of canning jars. I replaced it and have the same issue with the new one, and I can’t vacuum seal more than 10 jars without the motor getting exhausted and shutting down. The heat seal strip is good for 7 or so rapid uses then you have to let it recharge. Another thing I don’t like, it when sealing plastic bags, you have to hold the lid down until it creates a suction.
https://www.amazon.com/Weston-Pro-23...s%2C791&sr=8-3

I recently bought the Cabelas brand 12” commercial Vacuum Sealer.
I really like this one. Once you place the bag in the chamber, the lid locks down and you don’t have to hold it. It vacuums the air faster on both canning jars and bags.
https://www.cabelas.com/shop/en/cabe...-vacuum-sealer

Food saver canning jar sealer.. this is what you use for canning jars. Amazon is out of stock right now, but you can see what they look like.
httphttps://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...KIKX0DER&psc=1

ImaCannin