Buying in bulk has many advantages. Money is saved, shipping costs are lowered, and you’re well stocked with delicious food.

But there are disadvantages too—at times it can just be too much. Buying in volume means items will have to be stored which can result in a full freezer, fridge or pantry. And it may take away from the variety of delicious food you’re able to cook and eat.

Here are seven ways to make buying in bulk from Marx Foods more palatable:

1. Split orders with family and friends. Five pounds of ravioli split between three people results in only 1.5 lbs. of pasta or 6 portions. A box of Kobe beef burgers contains 20 - ½ lb. burgers. With BBQ season quickly approaching, split between two families, 10 burgers won’t last long.

2. Use your freezer. All meat, wild game, fish and poultry products are individually wrapped for freshness. When frozen, they will easily stay good for up to a year or longer. Other products including spot prawns are individually flash frozen to avoid freezer burn, and are easy to separate and keep frozen. More unusual freezer applications may include slicing and par-sautéing mushrooms in olive oil or even keeping them whole (they should be initially frozen separately on a cookie sheet, and then can be put together in a bag or container). It’s always nice to have high-quality products on hand in the event company drops in or a special occasion arises.

3. Try drying, dehydrating or canning. If you can’t consume an entire order while it’s fresh, then take leftover products including huckleberries (which can also be frozen), stinging nettles or fresh wild mushrooms and put them in a dehydrator or oven to dry them for use months to come. Many products, such as mushrooms, can also be canned and will be stay good in the fridge for a couple of months.

4. Stock up your pantry. Seeds, flour and spelt can be kept for a long time at room temperature in a closed container in your pantry. Try using these ingredients as an alternate to typical flour or wheat when baking or as breakfast cereal.

5. Think outside the box. Stinging nettles are great for soup or tea, but they can also be made into pesto or pasta dough; ravioli can be served as an appetizer or over a steak; ground wild boar makes incredible, lean meat balls; and halibut can be grilled or made into fish tacos.

6. Gift some of your great finds. With seasonal items like fresh halibut and wild produce it’s easy to keep some for yourself and then drop off a portion or two at a relative or friend’s house or even to send home with kids when they’re on their way back to college or to their own home. Or it’s also just a nice way to let someone who enjoys good food know they’re appreciated. Regardless of who you give it to, you’ll be a star!

7. Do the math and comparison shop. When you realize you’re only paying $7.95 a pound for grass-fed beef or $8.50 a pound for Dungeness crab and compare it to the prices at your local specialty food store, all of a sudden it’s worth it to make a little extra room in your freezer!

If you have any questions about how to store a specific item, feel free to give us a call or ask us here by posting a comment.