There has never been a more important time to source bulk food for you family!
Sourcing bulk food means shopping local, farm direct and fresh.
Sourcing bulk food means saving money, time, stress and ensures you are buying local, quality ingredients!
As I am writing this I have just jumped off the phone with our local abattoir to order a bulk meat pack plus a few whole chickens. This is the third time I have chosen to buy bulk and butcher direct for the majority of our meat. Not only do I prefer to source meat in bulk, I will often opt for a locally grown seasonal fruit and vegetable box too.
Why do we choose to source our meat and produce in bulk?
Why should you buy your produce and meat in bulk?
There are several reasons to source bulk food.
Buying farm direct and local
The first reason to buy in bulk you is you are often sourcing your meat or produce from a local farm or butcher. This in turn ensures you know exactly where you food is coming from. Local farm produce or meat is often fresher and less commercialized compared to traditional grocery store products. You reduce packaging and you are supporting local businesses and growers.
Why does it matter to eat local and farm fresh? Well most home cooks and chefs would agree it just tastes better! Often local fruits or veggies are allowed to ripen fully on the farm before picking allowing the full development of flavour and nutrients. The longer the food is off of the vine the less nutrients are present as the food breaks down and nutrient density occurs. Eating local food reduces plastic packaging, support food grown in better ecosystems, reduces cost of transport and supports your local economy. Another added benefit is you get to experience foods you might not have tried before.
When it comes to meat, sourcing bulk meat removes the middle man. You can obtain high quality meats at a reasonable price. Most butchers and farmers offer a bulk meat pack which provides you with a variety of meats at a reduced cost. I love being able to source grass fed, local meats for my family as the taste, nutrient density and the cost is so much better!
Buying in bulk saves time
Buying in bulk has saved me so much time! I don’t have to think about going to the grocery store to pick up meat for the week, I don’t have to think about writing a shopping list for many of the items we need.
Typically, a bulk meat order looks like this.
Once every 2-3 months I will call the local abattoir and place a bulk meat order. My local abattoir will deliver this my house. I then pop all of the meat into organized shelves in my upright freezer. I use a freezer log to document the meats in the freezer, and cross each item off as they are used. This makes for easy meal planning.
Each week along with my menu plan I take meat out and pop it in the freezer to thaw out slowly to be used for an allocated meal. I base my meal planning off of what I have instead of buying new each week.
What does buying bulk produce look like?
Each week a local farm or group of farmers will offer a local fruit and vegetable box. There is a selected pick up time. Each box will contain a large amount of locally grown, seasonal fruit and vegetables. The produce is fresh, flavour full. Most boxes I have tried are large, and have a good range.
By sourcing the majority of my food in bulk I have now cut down my grocery store list to a few basic items and reduced the need to go every week.
Sourcing bulk food will teach you to be creative
Some might see this as a hinderance, I however see this as a necessity. Generations before us did not have the wealth of options when it comes to food that we do now. We are spoiled for choice. However, this reduces our creativity in the kitchen.
Why is creativity a necessity? Because it teaches us to be frugal with the foods we can buy locally and source for a cheaper price. There are so many ways to eat a potato for example and when recipe requires carrots I can use about 10 different other root vegetables as a substitute. You are reducing waste, cooking from scratch and eating far superior food!
I am so thankful to have a Thermomix on my bench for this reason. The more I am pushed to be creative in my cooking the more I can turn to my Thermomix to take the stress, time and confusion out of cooking! Especially if I choose to pop the ingredients I have into Cookidoo to search for recipes. One of my favourite cooks that teaches me to be creative is Jo Whitton! Check out her website here. She has taught me so much about flavour, and just using what you have. I have done a few of her cooking demonstrations, it is a great way to upskill in the kitchen! Sign up for my free monthly cooking classes here.
Sourcing bulk food saves money
Price of produce and meats can fluctuate from week to week. When you choose to buy farm direct and bulk you are less susceptible to the increase in cost for food. Especially in today’s climate of food shortages and frantic buying. Just yesterday I walked into our local Aldi to find 90% of the meat completely gone.
I buy ahead and save money each week. I also save stress of not knowing what will be available once I get to the grocery store.
Typically, when you opt to buy butcher direct there is an option to buy a side of lamb or a quarter cow or other value packs. Yes you will be given a few cuts of meat you are not typically buying. In turn you get access high quality meats for a much better price than in the grocery store.
Where to source your bulk food?
A great place to start is your local butcher or abattoir. If you are in Perth I choose to source my meat from Southern Brook Abatoir currently. Check out the bulk meat packs or call them to discuss large quantities or whole animals if you are a bigger family.
When it comes to produce I like to shop locally grown. I will often do my shopping at our Gilbert’s fresh or Malibu Fresh. I also enjoy Caraholly orchard seasonal boxes too. In some location you can access CSA boxes which is seasonal local produce from the farm delivered to you or picked up at a specific location.
I will source my bulk flours, grains and pantry items by choosing to buy items on sale in larger quantities, shopping at wholesale places like Costco, or buying in large quantities things like flour from pantry man in 12kg bags. This saves me so much money in the long run. You do need to be careful how you store these items though.
Where do you source your bulk food?
Share your links, tips and ideas in the comments about sourcing local, quality bulk food!
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