assistance with storage, please ...

[designchef]

i live in a rural area so i do not really get to the store very often due to the distance ... i am planning on getting items delivered that i order online ...

are there any recommendations from any of you on where you purchase things such as bulk nuts and seeds ?

also, i would like to store these in the freezer. do you know of any affordable containers that will hold five pounds ? or since it is only me should i just get one pound ? how many pounds do you usually purchase ?


thank you very much .......................

[Aleesha Sattva]

i use either ziploc bags or mason jars for the freezer. works like a charm!

[DebB]

I order bulk nuts and seeds through Azure Standard, usually in 5# bags. We go through some faster than others. I also store all mine in the freezer, in the bags they come in or Mason jars for those I've already soaked, sprouted & dehydrated. The jars fit nicely right in our freezer door.

Personally I also use our Food Saver if they're something we're not going to use up in a timely fashion. *Ü*

[SunshineMN]

You didn't say where you are at, but Azure Standard has either free or cheap shipping if you are close to one of their routes. Free if you are closer to Oregon, 8.5% of your order total if you are further east (like me in MN). They also have good deals on fresh and frozen produce if you are. Otherwise you can have stuff come by UPS, which can get expensive if you are getting a lot of weight (and you can't get fresh or frozen via UPS). They have a ton of great seeds and raw nuts at some of the best prices I've found on the net so far.

[terry brown]

I was just wondering where to get raw nuts in bulk and here I come on to this info. I love when that happens!!:)

[DebB]

Hi Terry ~ I *love* Azure Standard and we place a big order monthly through them. It allows us to get things that just aren't available locally. We grind our own flax seed for flax oil and just as an example, we're able to buy our organic flax in 25# bags. There are smaller amounts too - don't want to scare you away! *Ü*

[designchef]

Thank you Aleesha and everyone ...

I don't think Azure could ship to me tho', I am in North Carolina. Does anyone use SunFoods.com ?

[Shels]

Thank you Aleesha and everyone ...

I don't think Azure could ship to me tho', I am in North Carolina. Does anyone use SunFoods.com ?

I think a lot of people boycott SunFoods because they have a couple of products that they lie about - I think it was the cacao nibs and something else - they label them as raw but are not actually raw.
Sorry I can't recall what they were extactly. Anyways, I used to get my almonds here: http://www.homegrownalmonds.com/almonds.html.
It's not difficult to find other nuts raw, try Living Tree Community Foods. =]

[designchef]

I found a few possible sites to order from in bulk tho' was curious as to what places others order from online because I don't want to end up with bad ones. I ordered some goji berries last month and they had green mold on them :( so I am being careful.

Thank you Shels for those places. :D

[SunshineMN]

Azure will still ship things like nuts and seeds by UPS. No matter where you get them online you will have to deal with that. :o)

[designchef]

Hi there SunshineMN ...

You are correct, Azure will ship to me ... yay. It does cost quite a bit tho' well worth it. I am beginning to stock up on items I cannot get locally so I will have things on hand. They do look like a very good place to order from. I found quite a few items on their site that I do not get locally. I'll just start with what I can and build on it.

[SunshineMN]

Sorry if I came off as promoting them to strongly, I am not tied to them in any way. I did a spreadsheet analysis a few months ago with different bulk places I had found online and they kept coming out on top as far as organicness, price and range of items not to mention no complaints (that I could find) on the quality of their products.

Be sure to check for complaints with online stores. There was at least one online store I found cheaper on several things by quite a bit, but after seeing some customer complaints on the quality of their nuts I decided I wouldn't risk my money with them.

[DebB]

I'm with you Sunshine - I love Azure and order a lot through them every month. I wouldn't want to be without them. You can call and they'll send you a catalog - first one is free. *Ü*

[designchef]

@SunshineMN : oh i did not think you were, just excited to find out they ship to me even tho' shipping is quite a bit as i had checked out their website and found a bunch of awesome items. i love organic and raw, so i do appreciate that you did that research.

i am gradually getting into more and more raw. i am also vegan. i am with you there on the complaints, i rather purchase gradually as able than from someone cheaper with items i cannot eat.


thank you all again.