Although it is not September, I am taking advantage of a "calm" morning miracle to start sharing information on wheat -- in small pieces there is a chance I'll get info shared by the end of September!
Wheat is probably the #1 item you think of in food storage. It is certainly easy to store and has high nutritional value. (D&C 89 says all grains are for man and are the staff of life, but wheat is also singled out as being especially for man.) Wheat is an important source of protein, calcium, niacin, riboflavin and thiamin, so, better store some!
Choosing the wheat to store:
1. Of course make sure the grains you store are processed for human consumption. (This has a BIG effect on allowable "foreign matter". Use your imagination on that one.)
2. Protein should be 11.5% or higher. Hard Red Winter or Spring Wheat has the highest protein. Because it takes more processing and/or bleaching for commercial use, it is sometimes less expensive than white wheats. The Winter variety is supposed to have a more "mellow" flavor, but I've never paid attention for a taste difference. Hard White Wheat is a medium protein wheat. The color of flour made from white wheat will be slightly lighter that the flour made from red wheat. Soft White Wheat has very low protein and is the type of wheat used for pastry flour. It isn't recommended for home storage use.
2. Make sure the wheat has no more than 10% moisture content. This helps avoid insect and bacteria problems.
Coming soon: Storing your wheat -- sounds exciting, right?
2 comments:
I've been researching wheat too (that's how I came across your blog). I read that hard red and hard white both have the same protein content. Do you happen to have the source where you got that info? I don't want to be posting incorrect info on my blog. Thanks and great information, very helpful!
Jodi - I think the only sources I've used in this part would have been "Making the Best of Basics" (Stevens), "Essentials of Home Production & Storage" (Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), Wikipedia, and an internet site "Food Storage Central" (printout dated 6/6/2001 -- I went to that site again to update info, and the site had CHANGED, so no help for you there). My husband is a food scientist, so if you can't find your answer, I'll be brave and check in some of his professional publications to verify.
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