grinding grain - how much to buy?

[erinbethp]

I just bought my first grain mill (a KoMo Classic! so excited!) and I'm wondering how many #'s of wheat berries I should buy?  Space won't be a big issue, but I don't know if they really keep forever especially if the weather is humid here in the summer?  Storage tips?  I make about 1 loaf of bread a week, plus usually one other item like pancakes or muffins once a week.  I might start doing more than this when I have a supply of fresh flour.  I can get berries locally but I think there is only one variety available from this source... What are the best online sources that have good prices?

Any wisdom to pass along in this area would be greatly appreciated!

[Momsteader]

Vac packed in buckets with oxygen absorbers and stored in a cool/constant temp locale (like a root cellar or storage area), they can last 25-30 years (or so I've read not having kept any that long personally!). I have spelt that was here in MT, moved to PR for a year, and back home in a bucket and it's okay when cracked into this month. It was stored total time 5 yrs before use and included two moves from MT to PR and from PR to MT in non-climate control.

As far as how much, if you're just using it and not storing or feeding animals, just get a bucket. See how fast you use. You might use more if you have it available fresh :) Then, if you want to have some on hand for storage, you can get more at that time. You can also see if the one kind available locally will work for your needs.