Would you buy food from an Amish salvage store?
Salvage grocery stores, aka “bent ‘n’ dent” shops, are common in Amish communities.
They’re popular among Amish with many mouths to feed, and English bargain hunters as well. Â I’ve bought from them a number of times (hot sauce and other goodies).
I just came across a 2008Â article on Amish salvage stores (no longer online). Â By the author’s tone, she seems to want to cast suspicion on these businesses, describing them as a “shadow economy”. Â When I read that, I saw shades of February’s “Amish raw milk smuggler” story…sinister!
But it’s an interesting piece. Â One fact I learned:
Except for baby formula, the Food and Drug Administration doesn’t prohibit the sale of expired foods or medicine. The agency bars the sale of adulterated or misbranded drugs, but those are evaluated case by case.
Everything else is fair game – “buyer beware,” as B&K Salvage owner Bill Gingerich puts it.
Hmm…maybe the writer has a point here. Â “Buyer beware” I can accept when I’m shopping used cars. Â But food and drugs? Â Takes on a more ominous tone, don’t you think?
But here’s the deal. Â If I think about it long enough, I realize I routinely eat foods that are past their expiration date (okay, not month-old cottage cheese, but things that obviously aren’t spoiled). Â I also take past-date medicine–in fact I took year-gone stomach remedy the other day (come to think of it, maybe these two facts are linked).
I’m still ticking. Â But…is this safe?
And-do you buy from salvage stores (Amish or otherwise)? Â What’s a good buy at bent ‘n’ dents?
Photo credit: Consumatron.com
Well, if the things sold are not actually bad and have just passed a calculated date when they should be bad I see no problem with eating them. I have eaten eggs that were 3 months passed the date. Why? As long as an egg looks and smells good it is OK to eat. I eat other things that look and smell good as well, no problems. One thing I am extremely careful about though is sausages and cold meat but other than that I am quite relaxed about experation dates.
I have tried 17 year old honey my mum found at the back of a shelf, it tasted absolutely fine and just like honey should taste. I asked a beekeeper who said that as long as it has been covered properly and there is no discoloration or bad taste there is no problem with eating even older honey than that. He had on the other hand never eaten honey that was older than 10 years himself.
I take medicine that is passed the date too, usually because I forget to actually check those things. The farmaceuts, at least in Sweden often warn you if a medicine goes bad and is dangerous to take after the experation date but usually they are not dangerous, perhaps just not as effective. I used astma medicine that were 10 years passed the date because that was the only one I found and it worked fine, just like ‘fresh’ medicine. I was in my family’s summer cabin in the woods and needed medicine and I had forgotten mine. Thankfully my brother’s old medicine of the same brand was laying there on the shelf of the plate cupboard…
Drug expiration dates
Elin you are braver than me on the eggs but maybe I shouldn’t be so prudish. I would try the honey though, I’m not surprised that was still good.
I think I remember reading the same about drugs, that it’s an issue of effectiveness. Aspirin doesn’t suddenly become poison a day after its expiration date.
I imagine that if certain drugs got old enough they could have harmful effects though–don’t know anything about pharmacology though so just speculating. I guess you need to use judgment like with anything.
Honey doesn't spoil
I’ve heard that honey is one of the few foods that doesn’t go off. So if it has been stored properly and it looks and smells okay then it should be fine to eat.
Erik I’m seeing more of those dent and buy stores in Pennsylvania compared to Florida, and just thinking about it now i have been seeing more plain folks at these stores than non-plain people. I myself find nothing wrong with buying most anything that was dented or where the packaging is not pretty. Times are still tough and the economy is still in very rough shape, so I’m sure these type of stores are booming right now, the question is why haven’t i gone yet to one?. So your post has reminded me to check out one in Lebanon county, the place where i had seen some Amish buggies outside. I think I’ve been missing out on something for a long time now, and that’s about to end…………………………. Please everyone check out my diner review of a Lancaster county favorite “Jennies diner” on my bog today. Richard from http://www.Amishstorys.com
Been there. Done that. Still alive.
We bought cereal and shampoo. Bonus treat: the sight of kids from Amish school next door sled-riding down a hill. It was so chilly inside the store that the two young ladies working there were wearing sweat pants and sneakers under their long dresses.
Greetings,
I have shopped in a couple of salvage stores in Arthur. First rule on bent canned goods, as long as it is bent in and not out it is safe. Canned goods can survive on the shelves indefinitely, however, they will start to lose some of their flavor after about 3 years. When the can is bulging outwards it is a sign that bacteria was in it when the can was sealed. It never gets in there afterwards, but will grow and that causes the bulging. So yes, in that regard, let the buyer beware, in any store when they purchase canned goods.
All wheat products contain bug eggs, they just can not get them all out of there. But if properly stored in an air tight dark container or bag that does not let light in, the bugs can not hatch and therefore can be kept indefinitely. Again, the products will lose flavor over years, but are perfectly safe to eat.
Outdated medincines will lose their potencey, not get stronger so again they are safe to use, it just might take more to get the job done.
I have had milk in my home still good up to two weeks after the expiration date and eggs up to 6 months. Milk of course will eventually sour, eggs do not really go bad if stored properly, but they will lose flavor.
Frozen foods can have a pretty long shelf life if packaged and stored properly to prevent freezer burn. I will often re-package items and make them more air tight if need be so I can keep them longer.
I see nothing wrong in shopping the salvage stores, buying bent and dent and even outdated depending on what it is. It is an awesome way to save money.
I would translate, “let the buyer beware” to “let the buyer pay attention to what he or she is buying”. It is possible to find a bulging can at even the most expensive grocery stores. Avoid that can and actually bring it to the attention of the store owner or manager, even they know they should not sell bulging cans. Grains, flours, cereals,,, store them properly in dark air tight containers and they will be fine and free from bugs. Check to make sure lids on jars are sealed properly and no bulging in them.
Happy Shopping!!
blessings, Alice
Alice thanks for the translation and good tips…your version sounds less scary than “beware” 🙂
And boy, the post just got started and hasn’t it been educational already:
“All wheat products contain bug eggs, they just can not get them all out of there.”
Wow–I hope I don’t learn more than I wanted to! 😉
Erik,
Don’t let those bug eggs scare you, they are perfectly harmless. Did you ever open a bag of flour you had around for a while and bugs came flying out of it? Those bugs were already in the flour in the form of eggs. Most people have the misconception that the bugs sought out the flour but that is not true. Whenever you buy flour, baking mix or anything with a lot of wheat product in it, if stored properly those eggs can not hatch, and they will not hurt you in any way.
Alice
Very interesting Alice–I’ve got to think the extra eggy protein can’t hurt either 😉 Though I doubt we’ll see packages of flour boasting that they’re “Fortified with insect eggs” anytime soon! 🙂
Visited one yesterday
Yes, I have been to these stores and I am alive and well. We have one that is fairly new here in the Mohawk Valley of upstate NY. I have been shopping there about 3 times. I have bought hair coloring to heat patches to cookies and baked beans. They sure do help the wallet out. If you look closely most of the stuff is marked best used by and not an expiration date. Any time that I am shopping there is always more English shoppers than Amish. Matter of fact, next week they are having an auction in the parking lot and that includes a tractor to chain saws to a hay wagon and much more. Way to go Mohawk Valley Amish!
Best by, sell by, consume by
Alecia you make a good point…a few months ago I read an article on how the labeling is not standardized, and that the vocabulary can vary–“best by”, “sell by”, “consume by”, etc. all mean different things.
OMG!!! Why don't we have one of those here???
I would be the first person standing outside waiting for it to open if there were one around here! #1 I frequently buy organic vegetables and they tend to be a little less attractive because sometimes the bugs have nibbled on them. My Daddy used to say that vegetables are supposed to have bug holes because if they aren’t good enough for the bugs, then they aren’t good enough for you. #2 The bent and dent shelve at the farm stand is the only place to get bananas ripe enough for my secret-recipe banana bread. #3 The grocery store I go to has a bent and dent rack in the back of the store and there are treasures to be found there! My neighbors actually call each other if we see something on the rack that one of the others can use. It’s one of the very few things urgent enough to force me to use my cell phone.
As for honey — I think they found some in the pyramids in Egypt that was still OK to eat.
I Have
I used to shop at a small salvage grocery store in Montgomery, Indiana many years ago. I enjoyed getting to know the Amish family who ran it. We never had a bad experince. In fact, when they found out that we didn’t have a microwave they told us how to pop microwave popcorn on the stove!
Simply the best
So the secret is out: Bent and Dents have the best deals around and are loads of fun for people like me with PA German frugality genes. I am writing an article for the Pinecraft Pauper on Homer Lambright’s new B&D store in Sarasata, right next to Troyers Restaurant. I check almost daily when we’re staying in Pinecraft. Where else can I get some of my favorite things, such as pickeled okra for 89 cents, Sazon Goya seasonings “con culantro y achiote” for 19 cents, Uncle Sam cereal for 98 cents, and Neutrogena fresh cooling body mist sunblock with SPF 70 for $1.98. It’s like a continuous Christmas morning with new stuff on the shelves daily. When I’m traveling in Amish country, I almost always ask if there is a B&D in their community, and the answer is almost always yes if it’s a large settlement. In fact, I’m stopping off at Shafferstown, Lebanon County, PA, at the king (bishop?) of bent and dents,B&B–BBs for short, started by Ben Beiler. I think he has a “chain” of three now–the others near Newberg in Franklin County, and in or near Georgetown in S. Lancaster County. We’re just about out of okra, Goya, Uncle Sam, and Neurtogena. I can check on the hot sauces, Erik, but I can’t believe you still eat pop tarts. Go with the Uncle Sam. It will make you a regular guy.
Rich Stevick
Amish salvage store directory
Rich–what deals!! Actually the original version of this post mentioned Pop tarts, but I revised it since I didn’t want the secret to get out that I am not an Uncle Sam guy…but I guess I was too slow. Actually, I attribute the change to my fuzzy memory–I know it was something good but might not have been Pop tarts after all–hey maybe I really am an Uncle Sam guy 🙂 That said I think these deals are worth any tiny health risk there might be–not to mention the dose of added excitement that gives you for free.
Rich maybe your next book needs to be a national directory of Amish bent n dents?? You could cut ad deals with them, offer coupon specials…it could be the next Lancaster County Business Directory
We have those kind of stores here in Arizona. It is called American Discount Foods. All the food there is near expiration date, but the prices are great! They sell everything from canned goods, to frozen foods, dairy. I’ve bought butter, shampoo, canned goods from them. A bread bakery here takes their day old bread there to be sold. Its still good and I buy alot and put some in the freezer. I also buy milk when it is on sale and freeze. It last so much longer and just take a gallon of milk out to thaw when needed.
Honey can last 15 years if stored properly. If it goes to sugar you can heat it and break that down. It can always be used in baking. As for eggs, I wouldn’t eat an egg that is 3 weeks old. To risky about getting sick.
Better Watch Butter
Lee Ann,
I just read something about butter the other day. Salted butter can last a LONG time, so if you want to make sure you are getting reasonably aged butter, better buy unsalted. More expensive, maybe, but at least younger.
Not eating eggs after 3 weeks....
Actually if you bought eggs from grocery store they already are about that old. We watch a lot of the How It’s Made, and the like and one of those shows talked about eggs at the grocery. They said by the time they hit the stores for you to buy they are about a month or more old. Just and FYI. 🙂
Hey Rick.....
Rick i live very close to Shafferstown but have not heard of Ben Beilers place before. Is it located off of route 501 maybe?. Also there is another one off of route north 419, but cant remember the name of that one. Richard from http://www.Amishstorys.com
Microwave cooking
Be glad you don’t have a microwave – eating anything cooked in a microwave can be detrimental your health.
A lot of the best by / expiration date stuff isn’t set because they tested it in a lab to see how long it would last…
…they tested it in a lab to see if it was still good after a year or two or whatever. Since that’s as long as they’ve tested it, that’s the date the manufacturers set.
I have eggs in my fridge right now that are a month past date, if my roommate had her way, they’d be gone, but I don’t see a problem with using them. They don’t smell funny when you crack them and I’ve been told as long as they don’t smell they’re good to use!
Honey is the one thing that never goes bad…or so they say, so I wouldn’t have a problem using honey that was old.
As for the dates on food, when I worked at a store we had to pull anything with a date that had already passed, no matter if it said “sell by”, “consume by”, or “best used by”. To the store, they all meant one thing…they were expired and we couldn’t sell them.
I will not eat meat that is past it’s date, unless it has been kept frozen then maybe I would consider it. Tomatoes…again not really. But as long as it’s not bubbly then I would guess it would be okay…rather not push it though. I guess it would depend on what it is if I will use it past date or not.
I have not visited a Bent N’ Dent shop, there’s one not too far from where I live…just haven’t made it there yet. Maybe someday soon?
One wouldn’t eat an egg more then 3 weeks old? Better stop buying eggs at a grocery store! Since they need a ‘cushion’ for not only eggs, but also milk, it would surprise you how many weeks old these 2 items are before they get on the shelves of grocery stores! We had a friend who worked at a milk bottling company. He said that since the demand for these items fluctuates continually, they need to stockpile these 3 months in advance. Yes, the milk we buy in stores actually could have been sitting in a stock pile for up to 3 months! Did you know that once eggs are refrigerated then they need to stay refrigerated or they will readily spoil? If you never let them get really cold, but keep them at room temperature then they will keep a long time. (Proven practice in 3rd world country’s!) Two of our children are missionaries in 3rd world country’s where poultry and eggs are a stable. I learned this from them.
I’d buy most of these products.
One more warning on cans, however: Even a dented *in* can could have lost its seal if it was dented in far enough. I’d pass on a severely dented can of any type. As well, one should *always* listen for the inrush of air as the internal vacuum is lost when initially piercing any can or opening any jar.
We buy a lot from the Bent and Dent stores. My wife’s uncle (Horning Mennonite) has gotten pretty wealthy (probably a millionaire, but I dont know the actual $ amount he is worth 🙂 ) doing it as a business. He started off in his garage about 20 years ago, and today has two large stores (Horning’s Market) near Myerstown, PA.
One of the older salvage grocery stores in this area is Glenwood Foods, at Hinkletown, just east of Ephrata, PA. Yesterday I bought a huge block of Mozzarella Cheese for $1.05/lb. It has a small piece of mold on it, but cut the mold off, and the rest is good. When stuff at Glenwood gets too bad, they sometimes set it out back behind the store and you can pick through it for free. Yeah, “Buyer Beware” for sure! :-)That said, I have shopped for years at Dent and Scratch places and cant think of any time that we got something that was bad, except when we already knew it might be going when we got it. Bananas at $2 for a whole Banana box full of overripe bananas, you expect a few of them to be mush. The chickens like them! Even if you throw half of them out, the other half is still a bargain.
We North Americans are more spoiled than the food in the Dent and Scratch stores are. Mike
Hooray for Salvage, and Outlet Grocery Stores!
I have always shopped the Salvage Outlet-type Grocery Stores. I check out every new one as it pops up.
Most of my shopping has been done, for many years, in these stores.
I have only had a ‘bad’ or ‘stale’ item a few times over the years; and all stores would refund your money, or let you get something else, so there is never a loss.
Many people believe that buying items past the recommended expiration date, means that the item is bad, stale, or dangerous; but, this is absolutely, untrue! Mostly, the purpose of this kind of dating, is all about moving new stock in traditional grocery stores. They want to sell; new product in, older product out. Period.
The only things you should watch are things like eggs, and milk, cream filled donuts….that sort of thing. If it is too old, leave it there. If it has not been kept cold, or is not cold when you see it, leave it there.
Drove 3 hours just to go to a scratch-n-dent
While I was living in Virginia, I packed up my four small children and went on a 3 hour (one-way!) road trip just to visit a scratch and dent store in southern VA. Like Alice, who commented earlier, I’m not worried about dented cans, as long as the dents are in, not out. (I’ve gotten a number of great deals at “regular” grocery stores just because I would search the clearance/dented area.) The store I visited also contained bulk items that I was use to seeing in the Lancaster/Bird-in-Hand, PA area. I purchased cereal (that I LOVE but had been discontinued), some canned goods, a large amount of Gatorade for my Husband, and some bulk items. I walked out of that Scratch-n-Dent store with a shopping cart full of food for just over $20! I would gladly drive 3 hours to visit an Amish salvage store again.
random - contact request
Hey Erik, sorry to post here, but have been trying to reach you via email. Ben R. asked me to contact you to work out a visit to Kutztown in September, please check your email and reply asap. thanks much!
Rhonda, you know where to find me! I sent you a message, thanks.
If a can or package isn’t broken, rusty or distended, it is probably good. If there is no off odor or mould when opened, it is probably good. I woudl heat the contents to boiling and keep tthem there for a while, though. Modern canned foods are processed under pressure, so temps get very high. I buy stuff all the time from the supermarkets that is past date, or dented, or the package is a little crumpled. Sometimes the goods are just plain unpopular – canned soybeans here, for instance, or more exotic vegetables or pasta. I buy past-dated produce rarely, since I have to be very careful of mould; same for bread products, but often they are marked down the day they expire and I freeze them.
I asked a vet about using expired meds – he said that most, if properly stored, will be good for a year after expiration, and if they are not stored properly, they will be ineffective much sooner. Exceptions would be antibiotics.OTC meds, if they look and smell the same, are probably okay.
I wish we had an Amish bent-n-dent nearby!
About the eggs. The experation date on eggs is very random and as Alice say they can last 6 months or even more if stored well. Most eggs are labelled to last about a month from their delivery to the store and may have laid for a while in storage too before delivery but they are rarely older than 2 months. That means that you can add 3-5 months on top of the experation date. Sweden didn’t have experation dates on eggs until the entry into the EU, then it was made mandatory. It was believed that since you cannot mistake a bad egg from a good one dates were unnecessary and in my mind they still are at least for eggs.
Fresh egg test
To test for freshness in eggs, place them in cold water. The freshest ones will lie flat on the bottom. Not as fresh, but still safe to eat, will have one end starting to rise up off the bottom. If they stand straight up on one end then they are getting to the end of their prime. If they float, time to call the bomb squad! 😉
The freshest eggs are the ones that just won’t seem to let go of the shell when you hard boil and peel them. Hard boiling is the best way to cook the less fresh eggs because they will be easier to peel and the thorough cooking will make them safer to eat.
There is nothing wrong with the bent and dent. as long as it isn’t opened,seal broke, etc. Also what about the Day Old Bread stores. They are great. Especially when you have a lot of lunches to make and after school snakes if need be. But If we had one close I would shop there.
Robin
Would you buy food from an Amish salvage store?
I really enjoy this site everyday, and finally decided to comment. I visit the Hazleton area in Iowa occasionally, where there are 2 such stores. One is nicer than the other. We often buy chocolate and coffee there, which is not much past the expiration date. The shops are always busy. One just has to use their common sense.
Erik,I am just reading “Murder in Plain Sight” and noticed that your site was noted as a source of Amish information. Great job!
Denise
Thank you Denise, and glad you shared with us here. The Hazleton group is one of the most conservative Amish communities.
Yes, I’d have to agree with Alice Aber about the bent’n’ dent items being used past the expiration date, especially if the cans aren’t bulging. I’ve bought/used the same, with no ill effects, for over 50 years.
My dad and his brother used to go to Maxwell Street market (in Chicago, 40+ years ago) a few times a year, to buy bent ‘n’ dent items. Dad was a newspaper editor, Uncle John was an attorney…customers at the “market” were financially and otherwise diverse! They also knew a bargain when they saw one, and had other (better) uses for their hard-earned money!
I read an article (Dr. Gott) in the local paper earlier this year where someone was questioning using an antibiotic ointment past the exp. date. Dr. Gott said it should be fine, as long as it was properly kept at room temp., in a cabinet. He gave similar info as posted elsewhere here.
In this day and age, save what you can, when you can!
Alice Mary
We always go to the Amish Bent & Dent stores and you just have to use common sense and follow the rules like Alice Aber suggested. We first discovered them during our trips out to Ohio, and then was happy to learn they have them in Lancaster County and surrounding areas, too. Here are addresses:
BB’s Grocery Outlet, Rt. 419 N., Schafferstown, PA.
BB’s Grocery Outlet, 6180 Morgantown Road, Morgantown, PA.
BB’s Grocery Outlet, 581 Camargo Road, Quarryville, PA.
BB’s Grocery Outlet, 20 Quigley Road, Newburg, PA.
Wengers Grocery Outlet, Rt. 45, Mifflinburg, PA.
Byler’s Country Store ( & Grocery ) 1368 Rose Valley School Road, Dover, DE.
BTW, thanks Marjorie King for the fresh egg tips !
Debbie.............
I passed by that one on 419, great now i know where it is. Thanks for posting the addresses Debbie. Richard from http://www.Amishstorys.com
Re: Eggs
I buy backyard eggs now. I usually go a month (sometimes two) on a dozen.
Best fresh, but they beat store bought eggs even when older!
I’ve had a few go bad. One thing I learned was to crack them into a separate bowl and not directly into what you’re mixing up so you don’t ruin everything else — when I mentioned what happened to mom, she said that’s what she had been taught to do back in the day for just that reason.
Second thing I learned was to make sure I “feel” the yolk sloshing before I crack the egg…if it feels like water, right into the garbage it goes I don’t even bother cracking it to check!
Yep, sure have…..several times…..several items…one was Albacore Tuna, the date on the can was still good and it was only .79 can, and the cans were not dented at all…..bought crackers, cookies that were soon to expire.They were fine months later…..most dates on pkgs. are the last day the store can sell them, it doesn’t mean that the food isn’t still good !!!!!
Now eggs and milk are two things that I will not use after the date on the pkg……it’s just me I’m sure,but I am very picky about these 2 items…..and I always break my eggs one at a time in a saucer before I put it in a recipe or even make scrambled eggs….sometimes there have been blood in eggs and that just turns me off……so why take a chance and ruin the other ones you’ve already broken????
I used to buy a lot of stuff from scratch & dent stores, but the ones I bought from closed. I would love to find one any place near St Pete, FL. I’ve never encountered anything gone bad. As for the medications, there have been studies by the U.S. government (which stockpiles a lot of medication). They found that the medication as much as ten years past the expiration date are still good to use if properly stored. You all do realize that these dates on food and medication mostly mean, “Throw it away so we can sell more.”
Watch Tomato Products in Cans
We’ve successfully bought from dent and bent stores in the past, and if we were closer to one now, we would definitely shop there more often.
One thing I would not buy from a dent and bent would be any tomato product in a can. The slightest loss of seal will cause tomatoes to have a funny taste.
I don’t like many people here buy dented cans. My mother always went on about them being dangerous and even though I didn’t believe they were as dangerous as she said I have still been affected by it. Dented cans, no thank you.
I’ve been shopping at salvage grocery stores (Amish and non-Amish)
since the 1960’s when I shopped with my parents at “Ken’s Damaged
and Unclaimed Freight” in Grand Meadow, Minn. Whenever I visit
an Amish community new to me, I always ask around to see if there
is an Amish bent ‘n dent store in the community. I’ve been in
small ones in rooms about 10′ x 10’, as well as huge ones that
have several checkout lanes. I like your idea, Erik, of a
national directory of Amish bent ‘n dent stores. It would be
very helpful.
Where are the Salvage Store in KY.
I already go to the one in Cub Run, are their other stores?
thanks
Replying to K. Summers, thItere is one in Horse Cave near Rowletts. It is off 31. You will have to turn off on another road (can’t remember the name) but there is a big sign where you turn. Go over the railroad tracks and keep going until you see it. The name is R and S Salvage.
I try to not buy dented cans, or any packed food items that are improperly sealed. One thing I despise, which is off topic, is people in vegetable/fruit markets/stands completely peeling corn onsite. I was raised to think its wasteful and doesn’t keep the corn fresh at all, even if you eat it the night of. I believe that peeling back the corn a little bit to inspect some of the kernels does the job, and patting back the leafing into place keeps the corn fresh. Sure, completely peeling it provides work for a grocery store stock-worker (stock-boy-girl), and keeps the floor at home clean, but ruins the freshness of the corn. I know it’s a matter of taste.
I also refuse to buy clothing with rips in them, even if rips are the height of fashion, I refuse to buy something like that, it just isn’t me. Eventually my jeans fray, I’m okay with that, but I don’t like ripped clothing. I once searched a store with racks of fashionably ripped shirts and sweaters for a untarnished sweater – it took two visits! Picky? Yes sir.
Absolutely
I would definitely buy at a bent & dented if there were one near me. As another commentor said, buyer be aware. If it bulges toward the outside, there’s a good chance that it contains botulinum bacteria. AS far as the bugs in flour & other grain products go, I’ve learned that if you keep bags of flour (etc) in the freezer, their eggs will not hatch and the flour will not become infested as it were. This also works for pasta.
Had eggs that were three months passed their date again today, I didn’t know that the eggs I had were that old but they were. I will have the rest of them tomorrow, just in case.
B&B
Erik
Thanks for identifying one of the great small businesses in many Amish communities. It is my understanding that Ben Beiler started the first Amish bent and dent in his milk house outside of Schaefferstown, PA. Since then B&B has become a major player in the Lancaster Lebanon County grocery scene with large stores and constant restocking of shelves. The local Kalona, IA store is much less aggressive with the shelves wiped clean several hours after opening. The pushing and shoving to get into the store became such a problem they went to a number system. They put the numbers out before 5:30 and people come by and get them and go back home or wait in the parking lot until the store opens at 8:00. One of the clerks comes out and calls out the numbers in an auctioneer style until everyone who is waiting is in the store.
The owner of Central Discount in Kalona has turned the business over to his sons and he has started a new business as a broker of salvage food, buying several semi loads at a time and distributing the partial loads to the smaller stores.
a directory of all the stores would make for interesting travel.
Thanks
Erik
Colorado Salvage stores?
#1: I’m looking for any stores in the Denver area as I’m going to be visiting in a few weeks and have some friends I think would really like them.
That said, I make special trips to shop the closest one to me…about 40 miles away…here in Montana. Just went yesterday, actually. I buy things like bulk rice, canned tomatos and beans, condiments, tea, coffee, jam… stuff that’s generally pretty stable and has a fairly long shelf life. Found some GREAT pickles yesterday and now I’m bummed I only bought one jar! I love finding “oddball” items from other countries and find it to be a great source of some of my favorite British cookies. I usually buy my little tubes of eye drops there as well…MUCH cheaper than at the other stores at $.99 rather than $7+…I don’t think a few months’ outdaing on them does any harm. REcently they had Zegerid stomach medication with a November 2011 outdate on it for $1.99 for a 28 day supply. That same amount is around $15 at Target.
i shop at miller’s discount grocery in centreville, mi every week 🙂
I was in Daviess County,Indiana, yesterday and got to shop at my
very favorite bent ‘n dent store, Discount Grocery on CR 1000 E.
It is operated by David and Caroline Graber and family and truly
is family run — several times I’ve seen three generations of
the family working in the store. My favorite memory of the store
is from several years ago on a dark, dreary fall day in late
afternoon. Even though they had the gas lights on, it was very
dark in the store. So David just got out several flashlights and
we customers shared them between us. We had a great time shopping
and visiting and looking for bargains. You just don’t have that
kind of fun in one of those huge chain superstores!
When I was in high school my home economics teacher told us that if we would freeze all flours and sugars for at least a day or two before storing them in air-tight canisters, the eggs naturally found in them would never hatch — thus, no bugs ever! I’ve done this for the past 30 years, and have never had bugs in my flour or sugar, even if I’ve had the flour or sugar a long time (in some cases a several months or more). Usually, when I purchase flour and sugar I store it in the freezer until I am ready to open it. After opening them, I store it in Tupperware canisters.
Salvage store
Here in Maine we have several salvage stores, and most of the Amish I drive for enjoy shopping there as do I and lots of my English friends. Usually lots of good deals.
Amish bent and dent
ya there great store’s unless they find out your x-Amish then you get your stuff for free and nasty looks then you just don’t go there any more . Amish can be very rude if you belong to there church and left.so i aviod the amish store’s if at all possiable and go the English one instead we have quit a few here in north east ohio Amish & English
Great article
I’m glad that you posted this thread. I love the Country Salvage in Arthur (actually lies in Arcola) on E. CR 200N. I’ve never had a problem with their products. Richard, the proprietor, is a swell guy. Very easy to talk with and very helpful. The north store closed earlier this year.
Lots of English customers
Thanks Susan. I know experiences can vary but I usually make out pretty well. After I posted this this summer I visited close to a half-dozen Amish bent and dents in a few different states. In most of them the majority of customers were English. I’d bet bent and dents will continue to do well, though I hope that doesn’t mean the economy will stay as hum-drum as it’s been.
YEP….again, my daughter went to one Fri. I only spent $12.00, she spent almost $40.00…..and only 1 can of soup was purchased, it had a small dent on the side….the rest we bought were box stuff….prices really good….just found this place….they were only about 10 miles from me….wish they had a bakery tho and deli….they have only been in business for a yr.
But I have a question, wonder if someone out here, could answer it….he was selling eggs for his neighbor, he said they were from chicken who ran free on their property….they were brown eggs….and for some reason I don’t care for brown eggs….but he had them sitting on the shelf like all the other groceries !! I thought eggs were suppose to be refrigerated…..we had chicken when I was growing up and we kept our eggs in the frig…..just wondering……..
Can someone also explain the brown egg ???? I’ve heard it’s suppose to be a richer egg, but I believe the yolk is a much darker egg than other eggs…..that may be why I don’t like them….and I believe they come from a different kind of chicken….right? Any egg experts on here, that can answer my questions ? They were $1.65 doz. I buy EGGLAND BEST eggs and they are $2.49……ever since the egg scare, I have been buying them…..
Need a EDIT button here ...
HI ERIK,
We need an EDIT BUTTON on here…saw my mistake after I submittted my message…and then there was no way to edit it….I FORGOT TO SAY MY DAUGHTER & I, I JUST SAID MY DAUGHTER…..
Sorry folks….hope you understand….guess I should have reread my message before submitting…..
But just wondering Erik, could you give us an EDIT BUTTON like we have on AMISH LIVING ???? would be nice and appreciated…..
Eggs
Eggs will last quite a while unrefrigerated, so long as they have NEVER been in a refrigerator to begin with. I had friends who sold eggs out of their homes, and they sold a lot. They didn’t refrigerate the eggs when they ‘picked’ them. They just brushed off the debris, or a quick damp wipe of a stubborn spot. They sold their eggs quickly. If fact they can be left out on a shelf, as an above post states, for quite a while, so long as they are not first refrigerated. Also, since eggs are porous, should never be washed in a bowl of water and left out. Try the freshness experiment (also above) on unrefrigerated eggs and see what happens, but you have to have access to fresh unrefrigerated eggs. I’d love to see how it does.
As for the brown eggs, I love fresh brown eggs! I don’t think there is any better for taste than a fresh picked brown egg. Yes, the yolk is darker, that’s because it is fresher and does have more nutrition. I read an article last year on Mother Earth Magazines website, and they conducted experiments on brown eggs VS white. The brown were up to 30% more nutritious. Don’t forget that regular grocery store eggs are from chickens penned in small cages that most likely never see a ray of sunlight or fresh feed, making the yolk anemic looking. The eggs themselves are stored for much to long before they go to market,.
Thanks Susan….and that’s why I have gone to buying EGGLAND BEST eggs…..but just not ready for the brown eggs 🙂 I really don’t eat a lot of eggs…..I mostly keep them for cooking….I have a sister that actually loves eggs…..she could eat them every day….I am lucky to eat one a week, and usually I prefer to boil them and use them in egg salad or tuna….
I’m on here early before breakfast, and now I’m thinking I just may go fix me an over easy egg and some sausage 🙂 Have a great day…..the weather is cool here, but dry and nice……
Amish Salvage Store
Two comments: 1) there is little nutritional difference between brown and white or other color eggs based on shell color. Shell color is dependent on the breed (genetics) of the hen. The nutritional differences are in the way the chicken is fed. Most store eggs are from caged birds. Even “free range or cage free” eggs are produced in large enclosed chicken houses. The best nutrition in eggs are from chickens that are fed a variety of feeds and allowed to truly free range but these are difficult to find in urban areas and are expensive, eggs from this type of management usually have darker yolks and a slightly richer taste.
2) I shop regularly at scratch and dent stores. Depending on where the owner buys the semi truck load of product there can be in date or out of date. I like finding gluten free products at greatly reduced prices plus mexican and oriental foods. Since I taxi for the local Amish community I get to visit Scratch and Dents in Carroll and Geauga counties in Ohio. There are too many to mention in Geauga but the two I frequent in Carroll are Sunshine Valley on Route 39 just east of Mechanicstown and Stillfork on Arbor Rd. off Route 9 south of Augusta.
Some of the deals were rice in 20 pound bags for 5 cents a pound, Tom’s of Maine Tooth paste for less than $1 a tube and Skor candy bars 10 for $1.
B&B Grocery Surplus Store
B&B Grocery Surplus Store are mostly staffed by Amish workers. They have lot of overstocked foods, Fresh Produce at lower cost, etc. Starbucks Coffee are around 3.00. they have bended unexpired cans
where do these stores purchase the expired goods and salvedge items from and any and all contact numbers please