Raw, cheap food stuffs

[bacpacker]

Today I made a trip to our local Co op and purchased seed for the yard and garden. While there I decided to also purchase 200lbs of wheat and 350lbs of corn.
It's all packaged in 50lb bags for now, but I intend to transfer it to metal barrels or metal garbage cans for storage. The corn was $9.55/bag, wheat $11.49/bag. That amount will go quite a ways for us if needed and If I can come up with the supplies can be repackaged into 5 gallon buckets and sealed for LTS.
A secondary use is feed for the chickens. It won't go to waste.

[ladyhk13]

bacpacker, is the corn shelled corn like we throw out to feed the deer? It runs about $11. here I think. What can you do with it? Also what kind of wheat was it? Can it be planted or ground? The only thing I have heard of with buying wheat from co ops/feed stores is that there is an issue of rat poop and stuff in it since it's not for human consumption it's not cleaned. Thoughts?

[bacpacker]

The corn is shelled. It can be ground for corn meal, made into polenta, probably some others as well.
The wheat is sold as untreated seed stock. It's the same I planted last year. It hasn't been cleaned so there is chaff in it. I will have to winnow it before use.
As far as rat poop goes, after working in a packing house for 3 years a long time ago, if folks knew what was allowed by the goverment inspectors in any food processing plant, resturant, etc they probably wouldn't eat anything they didn't raise themselves.

[ladyhk13]

What type of wheat is it? Yeah, you're right about not wanting to know...knew someone who worked for Tropicana and a whole vat of OJ spilled on the floor and they were told to scoop it all up and put it back in and process it. Really gross. Haven't had the stuff since.

[Stormfeather]

Ugh. . . as im sitting here sipping on soem cold tropicana. . . . you just ruined this stuff for me for life.

[ladyhk13]

Ugh. . . as im sitting here sipping on soem cold tropicana. . . . you just ruined this stuff for me for life.

Oh man..so sorry...sucks to be you LOL

[izzyscout21]

The only thing I have heard of with buying wheat from co ops/feed stores is that there is an issue of rat poop and stuff in it since it's not for human consumption it's not cleaned. Thoughts?

Those are the batches they sell to the military.........

[bacpacker]

It's way more widespread. Every food processor does it. Even the fanciest resturant you can imagine. Not cool but it happens

[Sniper-T]

I once had the pleasure of touring a packing plant and watched the hotdog making process. I have not eaten one since. and that was 35 years ago. The very smell of a hotdog cooking brings back vivid memories of that place, and the disgustingness of it.

I buy oats from a local farmer (seed grade) and have just sifted it prior to grinding (as I would with anything else). no biggie

1/8th the cost of food grade... worth every penny saved

[bacpacker]

Sniper that is exactly what I'm getting, just wheat and corn. It does need to be sifted but for the savings I think it's well worth it.n
On a side note when I was at the packing house, I started out cleanking the area and equipment used to make and package hot dogs and baloney. Haven't ate any since. I did get to move up while I was there, I then got to smoke the hams and bacon and clan up all that mess. It smelled a lot better, but making 30-75 trips a night from a 120 - 130 dergee smokehouse to a -30 freezer sucks.