Anyone Tried Zaycon Foods?

[Pixel]

I'm trying to catch up on all of the awesome posts here. I already have a question.

I ran across zayconfoods.com.

Has anyone done this? A friend of mine says you can get chicken breasts for $1.49 a pound. I've heard the reviews but you know, you always want to find someone "real" to get their opinion.

I've heard of another one called Angel Food... something like that. I heard that was good but you have to go through a ministry to get it? I thought maybe it was limited.

I've tried local co-ops before, but they are expensive! There are only two in town and one of them is closed.

But anyway, Zaycon Foods sounds like a way to get inexpensive meats on sale. Anyone done this?

[brennasmom]

I order from Zaycon for the first time about a month ago. I got the 40# of peaches. I was super happy. The process went really smooth. I just pulled up and showed my receipt and they put my peaches in the back of the van. And they were super yummy

[zakity]

Angel food went out of business last month.


As for Zaycon foods, I love them! I just picked up 30 lbs of bacon for $2.97 a lb a week or so ago and I have 120 lbs of chicken coming next week (80 lbs are mine, 40 lbs are for a friend). The German sausage wasn't a hit with the boys, but DH likes it. They also have hamburger for a good price, but we don't get that because we buy a whole cow (processed into "bits) and get plenty of hamburger from the beef from it.


The bacon comes in 7.5 lb slabs. The first time it came frozen. This last time it came fresh so you could divvy it up if you wanted. We just freeze the slabs and cook up a slab at a time. We use the bacon grease for cooking and seasoning the cast iron. The leftover bacon (if there is any) is frozen in a wax paper roll and put in a rubbermaid/tupperware type container).


The chicken:
Oh man! That chicken is good. Way better flavor than what you buy in the stores. It comes in a 40 lb box. There are bags inside the box. They are unprocessed breasts (meaning they aren't prettied up for you already). We bring them home and cut off the fatty bits, cut of the noticeable veins (because it grosses me out), and cut them apart. They come as a whole breast (the two breast halves are still attached and it looks like a bird or a butteryfly). We cut those apart into the two halves (hope that makes sense). We get out ten gallon ziplock baggies and divvy up the chicken into them (four lbs of chicken is a meal for us at the moment because we have three teen boys with hollow legs). We don't weigh them, we just eyeball it.

My friend that gets the other box's method:
She opens up the box and trims them up like I do. She then fills her crockpot up. She also bakes some and freeze some raw. The next day, after it is all cooked, the meat in the crockpot gets sliced or diced up and put on a cookie sheet to freeze. When the "chunks" are frozen, she bags them up so she can use them a bit at a time. The frozen chunks are great for a quick lunch for her three year old and they help her speed dinner along.


Side note:
To freeze bacon slices: Get a sheet of waxed paper. Put a piece of bacon on it. Fold the bacon and waxed paper over. Put on another piece of bacon and fold. You wind up with a bacon "roll". I put the rolls into a container and put it in the freezer (and I add the bacon to the meal planning calendar).


Another side note:
The "chicken juice", fat, and groddy bits (the bits with the veins) gets put in a pan on the stove. I cook it up and put it through the food processor. We put it in the freezer in (well labeled) sour cream containers to use as cat food. My friend who gets the other box is kind enough to let me have her groddy bits also.

[zakity]

If anyone is in the Portland area, I have the email address of a guy who does bulk produce deliveries. He does various fruits and veggies during the summer and apples in the fall. Yell if you want his email.

Sometimes, his prices are really good. Sometimes, not so much. But, most of the time the prices are way better than the ones you get in the stores.


Also, if you are in the Portland area, check out CashnCarry. They are a restuarant supply store. I buy big bags of frozen veggies there for a good price. They also have big bags of frozen shredded cheese for good prices most of the time. And, they have meat and sour cream and eggs and stuff also. But, they are a restuarant supply store, it is definately bulk buying. I bought a 50 lb box of potatoes ($12), a 25 lb bag of carrots ($8), and a 50 lb bag and onions ($8) the last time I was there.

[brennasmom]

Oh I wish I was closer to Portland. I was super disappointed with Bounitful Baskets last time (truck was 2.5 HOURS late and most of the produce was questionable quality). I am looking for a good local bulk produce option.

[Pixel]

Now I wish I lived in Portland.

OMG using the bits as cat food? I'll have to do that. That's just brilliant. Would save a ton on cat food.

I'll have to give this a try. There's nothing being offered now for my area but I'll be sure to keep an eye out. I have two other families I can share with. I like the waxed paper to separate the bacon idea, too.

[Pixel]

Ha! I just noticed this website took on my Facebook image. XD Always loved that picture.

[Uniwolf]

wooot there is one in a nearby city, will have to check it out more when I get home
Thank you for sharing the information

[zakity]

No problem! I love routing out the deals.

So, Penzey spices... Anyone know anything about them?

[moasmom]

So, Penzey spices... Anyone know anything about them?

Very good quality products, great customer service. And often, their prices are lower than the [inferior-quality] grocery store spices.

I've been a Penzey's customer for almost 10 years (only by catalog/internet; they have no stores near me) and am very satisfied. I admit I buy less now than I used to, since I have cut back on so much. But for the spices that I really do need, I usually can't find them cheaper (or better) than Penzey's.

Kara