Wheat, part 3

Problems Storing Wheat

First, sorry that chart about storage amounts from last time didn't copy very well. Hopefully with the little bit of color-coding it made sense. Now, on to the topic of the day -- storing wheat!

So, the real problem is just that – you STORE the wheat. A stressful time, when you are suddenly turning to your “emergency only” food storage, is neither the best time to learn how to use wheat nor when to introduce your family to “strange new foods”. Also, a sudden change to whole wheat is rough on the digestive system.

Besides storing the wheat, you need to use it; that means getting some recipes and also access to a grinder. You can introduce wheat into your family’s diet by substituting wheat flour for some of the white flour in recipes. (I’ll share some recipes that are good ones to start with – in “part 4”.)
If you don’t have a grinder (yet), here is some information that might you decide which kind would be the best for you.
Stone grinders: They work on the same principles as the traditional county mills that were turned by windmills, water wheels or animals; one stone turns on a stationary stone crushing the grain. Modern “stone” grinders are of a material that will last longer than natural stones. They can be adjusted to grind everything from fine flour to course cracked wheat. They don’t work well grinding seeds, nuts, or soybeans because the oils in them coat and clog the stones.
Burr or plate grinders: Instead of stones, their grinding wheels are made of steel, which shears or slices the grain into flour. They grind oily products such as peanuts, soybeans, flaxseed, etc. without clogging. They are adjustable to do cracked grains down to flour, although the flour might not be as fine as if stone ground.
Impact or micronizer grinders: This is something new since we got our grinder, so I don’t know much about them. They have rows of blades that intermesh and turn extremely fast, pulverizing the grain into flour. They are supposed to be very compact and fast and grind extremely fine flour. They aren’t very adjustable, so if you want something besides fine flour to a cornmeal texture, this would not be a good choice. Small rocks that are sometimes in grain that hasn’t been well cleaned easily damage the blade alignment.
Some electric stone and plate grinders have manual handles so they can be used without power. It is a lot of work to grind by hand. A small hand operated that would be useable to grind just a little bit of grain at a time (in case of no electricity) might be a better choice.
You will be disappointed at the price of grinders $$!! This will be a big investment for your storage, so I recommend shopping around and talking to friends and neighbors who have grinders to make sure you get what your family will really need and use. Google “wheat grinders” to get started on your search. You could consider sharing a grinder with other family members (store it at your mom’s) or friends.
(Has anyone tried a coffee grinder? I’ve heard that at least the old ones are good for grinding grains and are somewhat adjustable for coarseness also.)
Some sales people will make you concerned about the higher temperature of the flour created by metal grinders (plate or impact) compared to the crushing of grain to make flour with stones. Steve says the nutritional impact is minimal. Cooking and baking the grains will produce about the same changes.

Something to be aware of is that grains ground into flour begin loosing nutritional value over time. Flour should be stored in the fridge or freezer or only grind how much you will use in less than two weeks.