The $2 bag of lentils at the co-op flipped my opinion on bulk bins

I used to walk right past the bulk section at the Green Hills Co-op, figured it was for hippies with too much time. Last Tuesday I ran out of beans mid-chili and grabbed a small bag of red lentils, cost me like $2.20 for a pound. Cooked them that night and they turned creamy in 20 minutes, no soaking, no fuss. My wife even said the texture beat the canned stuff we always bought. That little experience made me realize bulk bins are not just cheaper, they let you buy small amounts to test new grains without committing. Now I grab a scoop of barley or split peas every other week. Has anyone else had a cheap bulk bin item change their usual grocery routine?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron68421d agoTop Commenter

12th and Pine used to have those big plastic bins and I ignored them for years until I needed a quarter cup of cumin for a recipe and refused to buy a full jar. That little bag cost me forty cents and now I get all my spices that way. The lentils are great too, I started doing the same thing with farro and freekeh, just a scoop at a time to see if we actually like them before buying a whole bag. It definitely changed how I shop for anything I'm not sure about.

mason_lee20d ago

Honestly, never thought about using bulk bins for grains I might hate, good tip @cameron684.