Since we make almost all of our food from scratch, we go through a lot of salt! To save money I started buying our salt by the 25-pound bag. This bag lasts about 4 to 6 months in our large family. Salt will not go bad, but over time it can collect moisture (especially if it’s not stored properly) and may get clumps in it. This is why a lot of companies add unnatural anti-caking agents to their salt. One of the reasons we use Redmond’s, Celtic, or Himalayan salt is because they don’t add anticaking agents.

I do notice that sometimes in the summer our salt can do this. It’s probably because I just store it in my pantry in a 5-gallon bucket with a screw top lid. Rather than getting frustrated, I give thanks that our salt is unrefined and doesn’t have anything added, and break up those clumps with my clean hands. I also use the Redmond’s shaker that has bigger holes than my salt shaker to help the salt flow better. I have heard of some people keeping their salt in a bowl by their stove.

Here are some storage tips directly from Redmond.

• Pure, natural salt doesn’t expire, but it can get clumpy or develop a funky flavor if stored incorrectly.
• Salt is sensitive to a variety of environmental factors, so it’s important to store it in an airtight container.
• Salt absorbs water molecules from the environment, which means you’ll want to avoid storing your salt in humid areas.
• Ideally, you’ll want to store your salt in a cool, dark environment (this is especially important if you’re storing iodized salt since it loses a lot of its iodine in the sun)
• Salt’s natural deodorizing properties mean that you should store your bulk salt away from areas that are filled with potent smells.

You might wonder how we go through so much salt in that amount of time. Since we use basic ingredients to make most of our food, we use a lot just preparing our meals.  We prefer coarse salt for curing meat naturally and finishing our cheese. We like the fine salt for mixing up our own seasonings like taco, Italian, ranch, etc. (this is a big savings since we buy the seasonings to go into these recipes in bulk too). We appreciate having this for our ferments, which require a natural salt. I just learned that you can buy super fine salt for popcorn and may have to try that too. Natural salts by themselves have a lot more flavor than processed salts, so we don’t have to use as much of the other seasonings (another savings).

After sharing “Get Your Salt Right” over a year ago, I had several people reach out to me asking for me to get them salt. A few months later, Cory and I decided to become Redmond dealers so we could help more people. We chose Redmond because it’s our favorite of the three salts. It’s the most frugal option and it’s been naturally protected from environmental toxins. You can easily find all three of the salts I mentioned. You certainly don’t have to buy from us, but we love helping people acquire natural products and would love to help you get started with this natural salt if you would like.

Salt is “good” and when we choose better salt, we can taste and feel the difference. By buying natural salt in bulk, not only have we saved money on our food, but we have also made a great investment in our health. Do you use natural salt? What are some tips you have? We love to hear from you!