REAL FOOD STORAGE PART 2 {What & Where}

*Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. This means that by clicking through and purchasing products, I will get paid a commission at no additional cost to you.

This is part 2 of our 3 part REAL FOOD STORAGE series. You may also enjoy:

REAL FOOD STORAGE PART 1 {How}

REAL FOOD STORAGE PART 3 {Old and New Preservation Methods}

This is how we skip the grocery store and save a significant amount of money when sourcing high-quality REAL FOOD. There’s always room for improvement and new resources are becoming available all the time, so I update this list often. Be sure to sign up to get update notifications and new posts!

What-cha Got In There?

Friends often ask me what food and other items we stock in our pantry. The simple answer is that we buy the basics and cook from scratch. Most of the time, the simplest forms of food store the best, and have the least amount of preservatives. For example, whole grains will hold more nutrients and resist rancidity much better than flour. Wheat flour is usually laced with thyroid messing bromides. So keeping it simple is the key from both a storage and health perspective. Don’t ya’ just love a win-win?

Animals Too

We also purchase the basic grains and seeds in the whole form for most of our animals and mix them in different ratios for different species. This makes it possible to stock up a little more and have it not go rancid by the time it gets used up. Contrary to popular belief, chickens don’t need you do crack their peas or other whole grains for them. That’s what their gizzard is for. That’s great for those of us who are concerned about shelf stability! We soak their feed 24 hours with a splash of apple cider vinegar to increase digestibility and reduce the amount of food needed by quite a lot. Mixing my own allows me to avoid soy, which keeps the fatty acids in my eggs balanced in a healthy ratio. Be aware that mixing your own: 1. requires a dust mask, and 2. can be more expensive than pre-mixed!

Where I buy

Neighbors and local farmer’s markets are my first choices. I like to eat local foods that are in season as much as possible. Here are a couple of resources for finding local foods in your area:
- localharvest.org
- eatlocalgrown.com
Local grass-fed beef (Arizona): Chiricahua Pasture Raised Meats. (I am not an affiliate)
Five-gallon bucket of grass-fed beef tallow for cooking and baking: grasslandbeef.com. Makes incredible pie crust and GUILT-FREE FRYING, while costing less than rendering it yourself!!!!! Grass-fed beef tallow has also been found to have much higher CLA levels than grain/corn-fed counterparts, which has been shown to fight cancer among many other things. Want to know more? Check out one of my favorite bloggers, Kellythekitchenkop for more in-depth information.
Costco has become one of my favorite places to buy things that I can’t find grown-well locally. Their organic offerings have improved greatly over the years. Note: The links I’m providing for Costco items are to the Instacart website. I am not endorsing Instacart, as I have not yet used their services. I am not sure if prices on Instacart are different from in-store prices. It’s just a handy way of getting an idea of Costco prices.
The co-op where I buy most of our family’s organic food that we haven’t found locally or at Costco for a better price: (affiliate) Azure Standard .
Sometimes (affiliate) Amazon has what I’m looking for at a better price.

No matter where I buy, I have seen prices and availability change drastically, so it’s always a good idea to price compare when you can. The items I have listed here are not always the least expensive.

Purchasing items from Amazon or signing up for an Azure Standard membership through my links will help support our family at no additional cost to you. I didn’t start this list with the intention of trying to make a buck, in fact at the time I wrote the first version of this article, the source for most of our food, Azure Standard, didn’t even have an affiliate program. I’m grateful that it does now. It just happens to be a well-priced source for buying in bulk, with a huge variety of options (lots of organic). I also love not having to run all over town to get all the items we keep stocked up. I just pick up once a month. No running all over a store to find things. Love it!

The Big List

Here is a list of the items I buy on a regular basis. You can click on each item to see the current availabilities and costs. I include the amounts I buy inside the {} brackets just to show what I choose, but there are often many more size options available.

Eggs

We raise laying hens that provide all of our eggs for the year. We freeze-dry (YEP, my dear father gifted us a freeze dryer!!! I am so so so incredibly grateful.) some of the extras in the summer for winter use, but mostly take a break from eggs in the winter to avoid developing sensitivities.

Fats

(affiliate link) Butter, Grass-Fed, Vat-Cultured European Style Butter, Salted, Azure Standard {12 x 8 oz}

(affiliate link) Olive Oil, Extra Virgin, Organic, Azure Standard {50.8 oz (this size comes in glass)}

(affiliate link) Tallow, Grass-fed Beef, US Wellness Meats {5 gallon bucket, 36 lbs 3+ year supply} I use this for cooking, baking and soap making!

Fish

(affiliate link) Tongol Tuna, Salted, Dolphin Safe, BPA Free lined cans, Pole and Line Caught, Sustainably Fished, Azure Standard {24 x 5 oz cans}

Fruits

(affiliate link) Blueberries, Frozen, Organic, (these are nice and sweet), Azure Standard {30 lbs, lasts us about 4 months}

(affiliate link) Cherries, Frozen, Organic, (best tasting cherries I’ve ever had – kind of taste like cherry coke) Azure Standard {5 lbs}

(affiliate link) Peaches, Frozen, Organic, Azure Standard {5 lbs}

(affiliate link) Raspberry Spread, Organic, Azure Standard {10 oz}

Grains

(affiliate link) Amaranth, Whole, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs, lasts us several years}

(affiliate link) Buckwheat, Hulled, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs lasts us several years}

(affiliate link) Einkorn, Whole, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs, 3 month supply}

(affiliate link) Kamut, Whole, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs 3 month supply}

(affiliate link) Oats, Whole Groats, Organic, Azure Standard {50 lbs, lasts our family about 3 years} If you don’t have a grain roller, no worries! You can give them a little whiz in the blender or cook them whole. This way, they retain more nutrients and resist rancidity.

(affiliate link) Popcorn, Multicolored, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs, 1-3 year supply}

(affiliate link) Quinoa, White, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs, lasts us about 3 years}

(affiliate link) Rice, Sprouted, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs. lasts us about 3 years}

(affiliate link) Teff, Brown, Whole, Azure Standard {25 lbs}

Juice

(affiliate link) Pomegranate Concentrate, Organic, Azure Standard {12 oz} (for flavoring raw kefir or making gelatin gummies for healing tummies)

Meats

Beef, Grass-fed (Arizona): Chiricahua Pasture Raised Meats.

Chicken: We are well on our way to raising and processing most of our chicken ourselves!

(affiliate link) Hot Dogs, Grass-Fed Beef, Organic, Azure Standard {12 oz}

Milk Substitutes/Dairy Products

Goat’s Milk: We get 1/2 gallon per day from just one of our goats, which is plenty for our family. We use it to make cheese, yogurt, and kefir.

(affiliate link) Coconut Milk, Organic, Azure Standard {12 x 13.5 oz cans}

Nuts & Seeds

(affiliate link) Cashews, Raw, Large White Pieces, Organic, Azure Standard {2 lbs}

Chia Seeds, Whole, Black, Organic, Costco {48 oz (3 lbs)}

(affiliate link) Hazelnuts, Raw, Organic, Azure Standard {2 lbs}

Peanut Butter, Organic, Costco {2 x 28 oz jars}

(affiliate link) Peanuts, Raw, Valencia, Domestic, Organic, Azure Standard {2 lbs}

(affiliate link) Pecans, Raw, Fancy, Pieces, Organic, Azure Standard {2 lbs}

(affiliate link) Pumpkin Seeds, Lightly Salted, Unhulled, Organic, Azure Standard {1 lb}

(affiliate link) Walnuts, Raw, Baker’s Pieces, Organic, Azure Standard {2 lbs}

Pasta

(affiliate link) Spaghetti, Brown Rice, Gluten-Free, Organic, Azure Standard {12 x 12 oz}

(affiliate link) Spaghetti, Einkorn, (ancient grain) Whole Wheat, Organic, Azure Standard {12 x 12 oz}

Salt/Seasonings

(affiliate link) Salt, Redmond, Azure Standard {25 lbs}

Sweeteners

(affiliate link) Coconut Sugar (lower glycemic index than cane sugar), Azure Standard {50 lbs 2-4 year supply}

(affiliate link) Maple Syrup, Dark Robust Grade A, Organic, Azure Standard {64 oz. in glass}

(affiliate link) Stevia, Liquid, Vanilla Cream, Azure Standard {2 oz we don’t use much. lasts us 6 months to a year}

Tortillas

(affiliate link) Corn Masa, White, Nixtamalized, Organic, Azure Standard {5 lbs makes several months worth of tortillas for our family}

Vegetables

(affiliate link) Peas, Frozen, Organic, Azure Standard {5 lbs}

Animal Feed

(affiliate link) Alfalfa Pellets, Organic, Animal, Azure Standard {40lbs}

(affiliate link) Barley, Whole, Organic, Animal, Azure Standard {45lbs}

(affiliate link) Field Peas, Whole, Organic, Animal, Azure Standard {50lbs}

(affiliate link) Oats, Whole with Hulls, Organic, Animal, Azure Standard {30 lbs}

(affiliate link) Sunflower Seeds, Black Oil, Whole, Organic, Azure Standard {25 lbs}

Medicinal Items

(affiliate link) Aloe Vera Juice (great to have on hand during tummy bugs or during/after antibiotic use- shown to increase white blood cells to conquer yeast, etc.), George’s, Azure Standard {32 oz lasts us a year}

(affiliate link) Arnica 30x (under the tongue tabs for bumps and bruises), Hyland’s, Azure Standard {50 tablets}

(affiliate link) Calendula Tea Tree Topical Salve (alternative to petroleum-based products such as Neosporin), Azure Standard {2 oz, lasts us a year}

(affiliate link) D Mannose (keeps some bacteria from adhering to urinary tract walls), Azure Standard {1 oz} (seems to work better than most other brands for me)

(affiliate link) Manuka Honey 10+ Raw, Azure Standard {1 lb}

(affiliate link) Natural Lice Eliminator (never had to use it but want it on hand as a safe alternative to the highly toxic conventional lice medications. Not the kind of thing I’d want to wait to get in the mail or even run to the store for), Azure Standard {1 kit}

Cleaning Supplies

(affiliate link) Dishwasher Detergent, Biokleen, Azure Standard {50lbs, 1-3 year supply}

(affiliate link) Hand Washing Dish Soap, Biokleen, Azure Standard {5 gallons, 1-3 year supply}

(affiliate link) Laundry Liquid, Charlie’s Soap, Azure Standard {5 gallons, 1-3 year supply}

(affiliate link) Scouring Pads, Azure Standard {48 scrubbing pads}

Misc.

(affiliate link) Beeswax Candles, Azure Standard {6}

(affiliate link) Bentonite Clay, Food Grade Powder, Amazon {2 lbs} Pure Natural Powder for Internal and External Use – Great For Detox, Toothpaste, In Smoothies and More – Heal Damaged Skin – DIY Clay Face Mask

(affiliate link) Chlorella/Spirulina Tablets (cleansing/nutrition support), Azure Standard {1000 tablets}

(affiliate link) Natural Cooking Twine, Azure Standard {200′}

(affiliate link) Tomato Paste in Glass, Organic, Azure Standard {12 x 7 oz}

(affiliate link) Tomatoes, Strained, in Glass, Organic, Azure Standard {6 x 24 oz jars}

I’d love to hear from you! What are your favorite sources for food? Know of any better sources? Comment below and help us keep a useful list.

In case you missed it, this is part 2 of our 3 part REAL FOOD STORAGE series. You may also enjoy: