Buy in bulk!

One staple of my pantry and life in general is bulk food. Over the last 2 years I have accumulated quite a variety of bulk beans and grains, and the beauty of it is that they just don't go bad.

Wheat Berries. Chickpeas. Lentils. Azuki Beans. Butternut Squash?

Bulk food is a great way to save money because not only are you not paying for the packaging, marketing, and advertising that goes into most commercial products (think Rice-o-roni), but you can also buy the EXACT amount of food you need. A recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of flour? You can buy 2 tablespoons of flour!

A 2004 University of Arizona study reports that:

• 40-50% of all food ready for harvest never gets eaten
• On average, households waste 14% of their food purchases
• 15% of that includes products still within their expiration date but never opened
• An average family of four currently tosses out $590 per year, just in meat, fruits, vegetables and grain products

Cutting food waste would go a long way toward reducing serious environmental problems. The same study estimates that reducing food waste by half could reduce adverse environmental impacts by 25% through reduced landfill use, soil depletion and applications of fertilisers, pesticides and herbicides.


Not to mention the environmental impacts of reducing packaging waste. That means bring your own bags/jars/containers when you're grocery shopping! So hit up the People's Food Co-op, By the Pound, or even Whole Foods to save money and reduce your impact.


The inspiration of this post is my late night task yesterday of cooking wheat berries. These were a part of my pre-challenge food stash but was actually local as well. I bought this bag at the Ann Arbor Farmer's Market over the summer from Ernst Farm (they also sell flax seeds, whole wheat flour and corn meal).

Cooking grains may take a bit of time but it is a pretty mindless task and takes little to no culinary skills.


Grain Cooking Chart from GNOWFGLINS

RICE (1 cup)	WATER	COOKING TIME	YIELD
Brown Rice (long grain)	2 cups	35 to 45 minutes	3 1/2 cups
Brown Rice (short grain)	2 cups	35 to 45 minutes	3 3/4 cups
Brown Basmati Rice	2 cups	45 to 50 minutes	4 cups
Brown Jasmine Rice	2 cups	45 to 50 minutes	4 cups
Black Japonica Rice	2 cups	45 minutes	3 1/2 cups
Wehani Rice	2 cups	45 minutes	3 cups
Wild Rice	2 1/2 cups	1 1/4 hours	4 cups
Manitok Wild Rice	2 1/2 cups	50 to 60 minutes	4 cups
GRAIN (1 cup)	WATER	COOKING TIME	YIELD
Amaranth	1 1/2 cups	25 minutes	2 cups
Barley, Hulled	3 cups	1 3/4 hours	4 cups
Barley, Pearl	2 cups	1 1/2 hours	4 cups
Buckwheat/Kasha	1 1/2 cups	10 minutes	3 1/2 cups
*Bulgur	1 1/2 cups	30 to 40 minutes	3 cups
Cracked Wheat	2 1/2 cups	7 to 10 minutes	3 1/2 cups
Cornmeal (Polenta)	2 1/2 cups	10 minutes	3 1/2 cups
Couscous	1 1/4 cups	10 minutes	2 3/4 cups
Kamut	2 1/2 cups	1 3/4 hours	2 1/2 cups
Millet	2 cups	25 minutes	3 1/2 cups
Oat Groats	2 1/2 cups	35 to 40 minutes	2 1/2 cups
**Quinoa	2 cups	25 to 30 minutes	4 cups
Rye Berries	2 1/2 cups	1 1/4 hours	2 1/2 cups
Spelt	1 1/2 cups	50 to 60 minutes	2 cups
Teff	3 cups	15 minutes	3 cups
Triticale	2 1/2 cups	1 1/2 hours	3 cups
Wheat Berries, Hard (Red)	2 cups	2 hours	3 cups
Wheat Berries, Soft (White)	2 cups	1 1/2 hours	3 1/2 cups

*Soak, don't cook.

**Rinse first.


My method is to cook a large batch (last night it ended up being 5 cups), store it in the fridge, and add more ingredients to individual servings. This makes it so I don't get bored of a week's worth of wheat berries. Plus it makes it very easy to use up all that fresh, local produce I have in my fridge. Sauteed veggies, roasted nuts, beans, dried fruit, herbs and spices all taste great with whole grains so you really can't go wrong...