Buying in Bulk ~ A snapshot

Lancaster County.  The heart of Amish Country in our area... including a fabulous Amish run health food store that we just love!  And all sorts of farms, Amish and non Amish alike.  And the Apple Store.

You heard that right. 

No.  Not an apple orchard.  The Apple Store.  In a huge mall.  We've even been there.  It's the closest Apple Store to us and last year My Beloved's office decided to go with iPhones for their tech team.   This meant that when something went wrong with his phone, we made our way to Lancaster.  

We never just go to Lancaster though.  It's a good hour from our home.  When we go to Lancaster, we GO to Lancaster.  We hit all our favorite stops and stock up.  The wonderful health food store where the kids can see horse and buggy go down the street, or even parked in the parking lot.  The farm where we say hi to the sheep and buy our free range (now frozen) chickens.  And sometimes stop in and pick up from the co-op we use for bulk purchases.  And some visits... The Apple Store.  

This past week, however, we didn't go as a family.  We often pick up chickens and other items for friends when we go, but this time, these friends needed to go The Apple Store to get their computer fixed, so the men went alone.  

You may be surprised to find out that this post is not, in fact, about The Apple Store at all (except that it cracks me up that it's in Lancaster... with the Amish.  But that's not the point.)  Nope, this post is more about those of us who stayed home on Friday.  You see, going the Lancaster involves some prep work.  Making room for everything that comes home.  

When My Beloved left Friday morning, my freezers looked like this...

Later, he would return with 9 chickens, a lot of cheese (best prices we've found so we buy bulk), and a number of other things.  

Filling the top of our chest freezer is 1/8 of a grass fed cow we purchased from a farm in Gettysburg last week (we buy 1/4 cow with these same friends every year or so).  And for some reason (on sale maybe) there are a dozen or so bags of frozen broccoli in there too.  And several gallon bags of frozen pitted cherries we never got around to canning last summer.  And all the wine berries we picked last summer but never got around to making into jam (long summer).

My job?   Making room!  

I pulled this.  Tossed that.  Moved this to the fridge.  Ah... that just about does it. 

Of course, I didn't know if it would be enough room until they got home, but it all seems to have worked out.  

Doesn't look different???  That's because I fit all those chickens in on the bottom.  Believe me.  It's different!