Episode 367: Special Episode Q&A with Dan

This week, we’ve got a special episode. Many of you have written to me over the course of the pandemic to ask about kitchen projects that are really Dan’s. So we asked him to come on and answer them himself.

Dan’s list of online sources for bulk staples:

Sunflower oil

Where to buy: Susquehanna Mills

Rice and Cornmeal

Anson Mills

Legumes, dried beans

Palouse Brand chickpeas and lentils

Soybeans

Where: Laura Soybeans

When researching homemade soymilk, they kept coming up as the best beans to use. Dan had tried some dry from the bulk section at the store, but Laura were noticeable better, less beany.

Peanuts

Where to buy: Wakefield Peanut Co.

They’re the only farm Dan found that sold RAW (not roasted) nuts in bulk and also spin-blanches their nuts (vs cooking)

Bulk food sites

Grains (rye, oats etc.)

Breadtopia, popular with breadmakers so lots of turnover, some rare and heirloom grains

Dried fruit: Raisins, not-raisins (currants, cherries, whatever)

Where to buy: Foodtolive.com (for now)

Dan loves the clear country of origin

Nuts: Cashews, walnuts (or pecans, almonds)

Where to buy: Foodtolive.com (for now)

Sugar

Where to buy: Direct from Wholesome Sweeteners

Salt

Where to buy: Morton’s iodized table salt, from Morton’s or restaurant supply

Dan’s recipes for a few homemade staples. We’ve got ingredients and basic instructions here, but there’s more detailed discussion of how these are made in the episode!

Soy Milk, Makes ½ gal

Soak 200g beans overnight 1-2 days, blend with 2 water, add to 6.5c water, cook 10m, strain, cook 10m

Okara

Peanut Butter, makes 1 qt

More details at: Lifeisnoyoke.com

Fat content of nuts is big. Peanuts have lots, easy to make butter with. Almonds are lower in fat, harder to make into butter. You can add oil, or add peanuts to other nuts.

900g raw nuts, 16-18 min at 350, fridge, blend with ¾ – 1 tsp salt

Muesli

500g flaked grains, 100g seeds, 100g nuts

Toast oats and nuts

Toppings (fruit, chia seeds, etc.)

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7 thoughts on “Episode 367: Special Episode Q&A with Dan”

  1. Hey Joy and Dan!!

    Loved this episode!! Nice to hear detail on some items that come into the podcast a lot.

    As or Azure, Dan will love them. They do many things that align with your beliefs.

    First, they do not have a membership fee. I have been using them forever maybe 2 years. About the beginning of the pandemic they were changing how they organized the shipping routes and were expanding the drops. ( totally not planned, but it moved this change along as well as made it more difficult. Some areas they were trying to expand into they were not able to accommodate that growth.). You can form a new drop if you want. (I believe their is a minimum cost that the drop has to hit.). My drop is in the parking lot of a random business.

    As for the quality of the items, AMAZING!! And you will find many items you normally can not. And yes, as you mentioned, so much non-gmo and organic items available. Many more items then grocery items available.

    As for packaging, Dan will like this most. They reuse boxes. I think they may get them from other business. They pack a lot of bulk items in paper bags. The more you buy the less the cost is. Some oils and vinegars are available in a glass container. And I love to buying my vinegar in the gallon container. I feel it reduces overall packaging. Lastly, they pack amazingly efficient. And they us all paper products that are minimal at best.

    You were specifically talking about sugar for coffee, I like to get coconut sugar and maple sugar.

    If you have any questions, shoot me a message. If you are interested, I would be happy to share regular items I order too.

    Try it!!

    1. Hi Beth:

      Thanks, I signed up yesterday and our first order should be dropped off at the end of July. What are your favorites from them? I have quite a few things in my cart already..

  2. How do you dispose of your empty oil containers? If you recycle them, how do you successfully remove the oily film inside the glass?

    1. Hi Chrissy:

      The containers are 1-gallon plastic jugs, we rinse them out with a bit of soap and water and “recycle” them although they probably end up in the trash because plastic recycling is mostly a sham. I’ve thought about contacting Susquehanna Mills to see if they’re interested in me sending the jugs back but have not done so. If you’re getting oil in glass and recycling the bottles, you can use soap and water to get the remaining oil out of an empty bottle.

  3. Where would you recommend for getting large quantities of flour? I loved getting a 50-lb bag of flour at the start of the pandemic, and I JUST finished it – definitely a great savings and a solid convenience!

  4. Hi
    Love your show! Do you have any recommendations for purchasing “bulk” organic pinto beans
    Thank you
    Sara

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