Wheat and Wheat Grinding 101: The Wheat {Types, Where to Buy, and What to Make}
I’ve alluded to this post/series for a while now but I’m more excited than should be deemed rational to finally be bringing you the first installment of the official Wheat and Wheat Grinding 101 series. Perhaps I’m the only one that gets giddy when talking about wheat (Huh? Weird? Me?) but alas, I do and I hope some of this information will be beneficial to those of you interested in wheat and wheat grinding.
I make no effort to hide my deep and abiding love for my wheat grinder and all the benefits it affords me and our family; namely assisting in making our own 100% whole wheat bread for the last three years. However, it took me a while to figure out the ins and outs of wheat and wheat grinding in general.
So over the next few weeks, I’ll be posting two or three more installments for Wheat 101 (including different types of wheat grinders and reviews of those, ways to use wheat and other whole grains, and a whole lot of resources).
Today, let’s talk about the main types of wheat to use in whole grain baking and cooking, the differences between them, where you can buy them and how you can use them in baking/cooking. Whether you make your own bread or not, whole wheat berries/flour can be used in many ways.
Disclaimer: I’m hitting on the wheat varieties that are common, easy to find, and that I’ve used for many years with great success. They are my preferred varieties of wheat but I have friends/family who use other types (like kamut, in particular) so feel free to do your own research on some of those wheat outliers.
Okie doke. Ready? First off, in case you didn’t know, wheat that has been hulled but unmilled (like you see below) is called wheat berries. I’ll refer to “berries” often throughout this post and didn’t want you to be looking for pictures of fresh fruit if you are new to wheat terminology.
You can tell immediately from these pictures that each type of wheat looks a bit different, both in color and shape. Notice also that for every 1/4 cup of wheat berries, hard red wheat has slightly more protein while hard white and soft white are the same.
First up, let’s take a closer look at soft white wheat. The berries themselves are rounder in shape and they are lighter and more yellow in color than the other two types of wheat.
Soft white wheat, finely ground, is perfect for tender, light baked goods. Bread, rolls, and even pie crusts, pastries and cookies.
Next, we have hard red wheat. It is noticeably darker than the other two white wheat varieties. Because of it’s slightly higher protein content, it is better used for heartier, heavier breads.
It isn’t going to yield the same light color and texture in a baked good that a variety of white wheat will. Many people who try whole wheat bread with red wheat first are sometimes disappointed because it tends to produce heavy, dark loaves.
I always recommend using hard white wheat to start; for some reason, it seems easier to develop the gluten and get a lighter, more tender bread. I’m not anti-red wheat (you’ll find out more below); but it is the type of wheat that sometimes gives wheat bread in general a bad rep.
Finally, hard white wheat. Light color, just like soft white wheat, but it has a slightly longer, thinner berry shape. This is the type of wheat I use the most.
It is a great all-purpose wheat flour to use as it works great in yeasted breads/rolls and also in cookies and other baked goods.
When ground, the wheat berries produce flour at any level of coarseness or fineness, depending on your grain mill or wheat grinder. My rule of thumb, unless I’m going for a cracked wheat cereal, is to grind as finely as my grain mill allows because I like to be able to sub the wheat flour in for all-purpose flour and the more finely ground it is, the more easily I can substitute one-for-one with all-purpose flour.
I’ll be talking more in-depth about wheat grinders in a week or so, but a good rule of thumb is that one cup of wheat berries produces about 2 cups flour. Keep in mind, though, that freshly ground wheat flour is full of air from shooting out of the grinder so measuring freshly ground wheat can be a bit tricky (and is also the reason I use approximate amounts of flour for whole wheat bread recipes instead of exact measurements). I either let the flour settle for 30 minutes or so, or if I’m going to use it right away, I forget my standard flour measuring rule, and pack it in the cup a bit more to account for the airiness of just being ground.
You can see from the picture below that the ground wheat flour varies slightly in color, too, depending on the variety of wheat.
It’s hard to see it in this picture below, but the hard red wheat flour (far right) has a bit more texture and a darker color than the soft white wheat flour to the right.
I mentioned above that I prefer using hard white wheat flour. It is definitely what I use 90% of the time; however, I have about 100 pounds of hard red wheat hanging out in storage that I bought 10 years ago that I’m trying to use up, so for the last year, I’ve mixed hard red wheat and hard white wheat (grinding it together) when making bread.
And after shooting pictures for this tutorial, I made bread with all three varieties and what do you know? I think it was the best bread I’ve ever made. So, basically, experiment with the type of wheat you prefer – it will vary widely among every person.
When I lived in Northern Minnesota, I bought it from a local, organic mill near my home (I know, can you believe I moved to the middle of nowhere with an organic grain mill within 40 minutes? Awesome). They do provide shipping if you are interested in checking out their site, but I have to imagine shipping costs are pretty steep since wheat isn’t exactly feather light.
I’ve also found hard white wheat berries at:
- my local Walmart (on the very bottom shelves under the flour)
- Winco (a grocery store in my area in Idaho – they carry it in 25 pound bags)
- a local farm in Ontario, Oregon (Corn Family Farms – check around for any local farms in your area)
There are many, many online sources for wheat, but be aware that shipping costs can run high, so it might be best to check your local resources first. Here are a few online resources (I am not affiliated with any of these but have bought various products from all of them in the past with great results):
Pleasant Hill Grain (probably one of the more reasonable places to buy online)
Emergency Essentials (again, as I looked at their sales/prices, pleasantly surprised)
Shelf Reliance (more expensive but has convenient scheduled shipments, if that floats your boat, and their wheat is non-GMO)
Another resource is the LDS (Mormon) Home Storage Centers. I’m pretty sure you do not need to be a member of the LDS church to can dry goods at the Home Storage Centers (and based on several comments; that’s correct!). Here is a list of Home Storage Center locations; call for details. Their prices are extremely low, in part because you have to/get to pack it and seal it yourself either in cans or mylar bags.
Alternately, if you don’t live near a Home Storage Center, you can order #10 cans of wheat online at store.lds.org. It runs about $33 for 30 pounds of wheat (they only offer hard white or hard red wheat) and shipping is free, although you do have to live in the continental United States to order online (thanks for your comments clarifying that!).
Feel free to share any other resources you’ve found for buying wheat in the comments!
A quick note on storing wheat berries: as with most dry goods, they should be stored in a dry, cool place. My sealed cans and buckets are kept in our basement storage (wheat, if stored properly, can be kept for up to 20 years or longer!) but I keep a large 50 pound bucket in my kitchen that I fill up with the #10 cans or bags of wheat that I buy or bring up from my personal storage.
This bucket is not sealed, meaning, it won’t keep out bugs or little hands that like to let the wheat run through their chubby fingers, but I use this wheat up quickly and regularly, so as long as I keep the lid closed, I’ve never had problems with bugs (although those pesky little hands still find their way in!).
The lid is a nifty two-piece plastic ring with a lid that screws on and off. It is brilliant and saves me from prying off the original lid that came with the bucket.
These two-piece lids (sometimes called Gamma Seal Lids), meant to be used with food-grade 50# buckets, can be found online at any of the wheat resource links above (here is a link from Pleasant Hill Grain).
Now on to the good stuff.
The obvious answer is clearly to use it in breads and rolls (but scroll down for some ideas that are a bit outside of the bread box). I have dozens of yeast recipes on my site and while I haven’t specified in each and every one, it’s a given that any time I make rolls or bread, I use whole wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour.
For bread, I always use my trusted 100% whole wheat recipes. For rolls and other breads, I generally use at least half whole wheat flour, sometimes more and sometimes less (with the exception of this ciabatta bread, this rustic crusty bread and a small handful of others which I always splurge and make 100% white flour).
However, you can think outside of the box and use wheat berries in many other ways besides bread. Here are some good ones:
- Homemade Cream of Wheat Cereal: Toast the wheat berries in the oven until lightly golden, let them cool, then grind them in a grain mill or wheat grinder to the texture of hot cereal, not fine like flour but not as coarse as cracked wheat. You could probably even do that in a blender. Cook or microwave 1 cup of the toasted ground wheat berries in 3 cups water for a delicious, hot cream of wheat breakfast (this is honestly one of my boys’ favorite breakfast choices with blueberries and a touch of brown sugar and milk).
- Pancake Mix: I use 100% whole wheat flour for our favorite oatmeal pancake mix. It’s hearty, healthy and totally delish.
- Traditional Cracked Wheat: If your wheat grinder can hack it, grind the wheat berries for cracked wheat cereal.
- Whole Wheat Blender Pancakes/Waffles: This unique recipe doesn’t use flour at all; it starts with whole wheat berries that are blended with buttermilk and other ingredients. It’s another breakfast staple at our house. You can use any type of wheat berry for these.
- Wheat as a Meat Extender: You can get all wild and crazy and use wheat as a meat extender. It’s amazing! My friend Jenna told me about this years ago after she served me stroganoff that was so tasty, I asked for the recipe and she shyly admitted that the “meat” in the recipe was at least 1/2 wheat berries. WHAT? I couldn’t even tell. It’s been years since I’ve employed this method myself (I need to start again!) but I can vouch that it works. The wheat takes on the taste and texture of the meat plus it adds a whole lot of extra protein and fiber. Basically you use cooked wheat berrries (cracked wheat) and simmer it with your meat (for tacos, stroganoff and other ground beef/turkey meals that simmer or cook for a bit). Google “wheat meat extender” and you’ll get some good ideas.
Well, I think that does it for today! Next up will be a thorough look at wheat grinders. Yahoo! (Seriously, stay in your seats, people.)
Please feel free to leave any questions in the comments and I’ll get to them as soon as I can; alternatively, I’d love any suggestions about the discussion today. I have a feeling I can learn a lot from all of your experiences with wheat, too!
Thank you for the valuable info
Hi Mel,
what kind of mill do you have?? do you have both a hand mill and an electric mill? Thank you- Olga
Mel, are you milling and using hard white wheat in your buttermilk cinnamon roll recipe or are you using store bought all purpose flour in it? I love that recipe but have only used store all purpose white flour in it. Can you advise if milled white wheat would work? Thanks so much!!! Laura Gail
I almost always use unbleached all-purpose flour in that recipe, but I think you could definitely use half white whole wheat!
This is a great blogpost!
My husband and I grow the best organic wheat on the Colorado prairie and ship nationwide straight from our farm. We also deliver to some areas of the Colorado Front Range. Check out our website at GrainsFromThePlains.com.
In response to someone below- I cannot speak for other organic farmers, but here on our farm, we do not spray anything for pests (or anything at all). We also naturally do not have a big pest problem on the Colorado prairie because we are so dry that even bugs don’t like it.
Question:
After grinding wheat, how soon does it need to be used before it goes bad?
Does it prolong it’s shelf life by putting in the refrigerator or freezing?
Thx
Yes, storing it in the freezer is the best way to preserve most of the nutrition after it has been ground. I try to use freshly ground wheat within 12 hours (unless I’m going to put it in the freezer).
Hi Mel, I know your post says you grind your own wheat and you prefer hard white wheat. However, I don’t foresee grinding my own wheat in the future so I’m wondering if you have a brand of wheat flour you prefer? I have used the lehi roller mills unbleached bread flour from hard wheat found at Costco. I’m wondering since this is a bread flour if it’s affecting any of my cookies, muffins, etc? I’m also wanting to add more wheat into our diet but maybe the Costco hard wheat is already sufficient? I’d appreciate your thoughts. Thanks so much!
Hi Marcie, yes bread flour vs all-purpose flour will definitely affect the outcome of baked goods since it has a higher protein content. It behaves a little different than all-purpose flour. I’ve used the King Arthur brand of already ground whole wheat flour before, but since I mostly grind my own, I don’t know all the different brands (good or bad) available.
Thanks, Mel!
West Mountain Wheat sells organic, non-gmo grains at great prices.
I’m wondering if there are any recipes for pizza dough using fresh flour. Most of the recipes I’ve been finding use the store bought flour, but I like grinding my own at home.
Does anyone know if Augason wheat berries sold at walmart have Roundup on them or any other pesticides. not ready to spend the money on organic . just wondering
Buying organic will not get you away from pesticides. Organic crops are also sprayed with pesticides, many of which are more toxic than conventional pesticides.
Please list a source for this statement.
That’s a dumb comment.
I’m rather new to using wheat berries but am SO excited at the taste and texture of my first bread!!!
I want to make pasta. From what I’ve read durum is the wheat of choice. I am curious as to why and what pasta made from hard white wheat berries would be like.
Your information above is wonderful! Thanks
This is fantastic! Wish I had this 30 years ago when I started grinding my own wheat! Thanks so much.
You are amazing, thank you for this post!!!
I smiled at this: “Perhaps I’m the only one that gets giddy when talking about wheat (Huh? Weird? Me?) but alas….” I’m in that camp too, although it’s hard to find folks with equal (any?) enthusiasm. I’ve been making my own bread for about 12yrs, and grinding wheat for ~8 via a Nutrimill. They’re dusty machines with poor seals between base unit and hopper, but durable and L’Equip has a good warranty.
I’ve always used red hard wheat berries .. probably that is what was first recommended for breads. I’d like to try the the white hard wheat too. It’s unfortunate that the wheat prices have risen so severely. >5yrs ago it was $.35/lb but is now >$1 per pound.
How do you sprout soft white wheat? I heat only bad reviews of soft white does not last long and it is terrible to sprout. I am asking of this because I am new to this and I did buy soft white and I do not know if they sprouted but I knew the hard wheat berries had minimal sprouts. I had both in the same jar. So when I seen the sprouts i grind up my wheat in a food processor. I made my bread and the rising process it did rise but when I formed it into a loaf for a 2nd rise, it did nothing. Do the soft wheat need to be sprout a little longer. I did another batch before researching and this time I will sprout until i have sprouts about 1/8 inches long. I know I will not eat my first batch, Can you give me some suggestions on soft wheat. please. Thanks, and happy July 4
Unfortunately I’m not an expert on sprouting wheat. Sorry! You might try googling to get more info.
LDS.org online storehouse sells wheat in #10 cans and will ship free to U.S. addresses. The price is amazing! 6 #10 cans = 33 lbs of hard white wheat for $27.50! Emergency Essentials is 40 lbs for $49.99 on sale. So huge saving because LDS.org is non profit. It is nice to get it in the smaller cans too, easier for me to handle. Love you post BTW.
Thank you – I am looking to buy a wheat grinder and stock up on wheat for food storage in the next week or two. Thank you for sharing your knowledge – well done!
Can you grind this wheat to make all purpose flour at home? You know the kind of flour that you see at the supermarket
I grind my own wheat, oats, corn, etc. Love it. However, I must be doing something wrong. My corn bread is awful! I grind my corn into meal, add my flour, baking powder, egg, milk, etc and bake as usual, meaning I bake it just like I would “store bought” cornmeal, BUT, it is extremely doughy in the middle and it seems to take forever for it to get “done”, but it is still doughy in the middle no matter what. The edges are all we can eat. HELP please, someone.
Debie – I have been grinding wheat and corn for 20+ years. Are you grinding popcorn? That is what I do. It cleans the grinder out too. I make the Mollie Katzen corn bread recipe (Moosewood) with yogurt instead of all of the fat. I place a caste iron skillet in the oven while I mix the ingred. Then I add 1/2 the dough in the heated skillet, some preserves and then the other half of the dough. Bake 20 minutes. It is delicious. Baked through with a little browning on the bottom from the warmed skillet.
Heidi, hi. what kind of mill do you use? Do you use a separate mill for corn or one mill for both?
Here’s a link to the info on wheat grinding (what I use, etc): https://www.melskitchencafe.com/wheat-grinding-101-all-about-wheat-grinders-plus-over-60-reviews-of-popular-grinders/
Thanks for this post! It was so easy to understand. I’ve been buying those containers you mentioned at Winco and love them. I’m curious how long my grains will last in them though. It’s just my husband and I, so I don’t want them to go to long and get bugs in them. I just got a Wheat Grinder for Christmas, so I’m excited to try it!
I live on the east coast and buy my wheat from Walmart.com, Augason Farm brand. A 26 lb bucket is around $16 which is by far the cheapest online price I’ve found and shipping is free with a $50 order, although I can’t imagine that lasting too long, so I stock up whenever I can. Even the storehouse online has a minimal shipping charge now for food storage items (I think $3 or so).
I just started grinding a new brand of wheat. Both brands where hard white wheat. I use them to make my homemade bread. Ever since I have started using this brand my bread is different. Not as soft, is this possible that another brand would make this big of a difference????
Hi Bailey – I’m not sure if brand would make a difference, although I suppose it could. The only way to really know is to try and get the old brand and do a comparison test. I’ve used several brands over the years and haven’t noticed a huge difference but I don’t change the kind I’m using very often.
I’m not sure the LDS church has organic, pesticide-free berries. I will be looking into it before going to them.
If you live near any Amish they will have a store which will have wheat berries, as well as a lot of other bulk foods. These are often run by Mennonite or old order Germany baptist brethren. Check the new papers of small towns in your area or simply ask someone in plain dress in walmart they are usually very happy to share the information. Great healthy food source.
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Just thought that I would check back in here Mel. I have just purchased a manual grinder by Country Living. I ground wheat today and it took me 57 minutes to grind 10 cups of flour for my bread batch. I used hard red spring and hard white high protein wheat. I keep the setting on fine and this produces flour the same consistency as what you typically buy in stores. I am very pleased with this grinder. The flavor really is noticeably better than flour that has been previously ground. So in my humble opinion, it is definitely worth the investment to buy a grinder and have fresh ground wheat when you want it. As for buying wheat, I bought a 25 pound bag of hard red spring wheat at Winco for $.57 a pound. Winco does not have much of a selection of wheat, but it is the best price on hard red spring wheat that I have been able to find and they always carry that. I also bought 50 pound bags of hard red winter and hard white high protein wheat from Harvest House for $.69 per pound. I store them in plastic buckets as you suggested. They are well wrapped in plastic bags to keep moisture and any bugs that could possibly get past the plastic buckets, which I truly doubt will ever happen. So I have learned quite a bit from your site Mel and I hope the information that I just presented here helps any other folks that are doing their own baking. Thanks for your wonderful site and take care.
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Greetings! Very helpful advice in this particular post!
It’s the little changes that will make the biggest changes.
Thanks for sharing!
So I have a kitchen aid mixer professional series.
I’m looking to mill grain for up to 5 families. I’m wondering if anyone knows about how long it would take to mill oh I don’t know 10lbs of berries?
I just got a wheat grinder for Christmas. Do you ever grind other things? I was reading that it can grind lentils and all manner of other grains and beans and I’m slightly interested in getting a little crazy with the grinding, just don’t know what to do with other ground things besides wheat. Any thoughts or websites or recipes or anything on that?
Carissa – I mostly grind wheat but I’ve also ground rice, almonds, dried corn and a few other things. A lot depends on the type of mill you have (many don’t fare well with wetter ingredients like dried beans and flaxseed). Have fun!
Great site and I look forward to more information that you offer here Mel. I have been making my own wild yeast sourdough bread for only 7 months. I have cooked all of my adult life and by far, making my own bread is the most satisfying thing that I have ever attempted in the kitchen! As far as preference, the standout for my basic bread making is a flour called “OO”. It is a combination of hard red winter wheat and soft spring wheat that I get from Harvest House, a health food store close by. The flavor it produces is wonderful and nutty. The crust is heavy and the crumb is dense and soft. It is my favorite wheat combination thus far in my short bread making experience. I am currently looking at hand crank grinding machines and that is what brought me here to your site. I am happy to have stumbled across your place. I look forward to learning more about bread making and wheat properties on your site. Thanks and you have a fabulous site/blog!
I would like to start trying to grind my own hard red wheat ( a friend does and I love the taste) I just spent my money on a kitchen aid mixer and can’t afford a grinder at this time. Do you know anyone who uses their vitamix with the dry mix container to grind their wheat? I have one but wondered before I invest in wheat
Wendy – I don’t have any experience or know of anyone that uses their Vitamix but perhaps a quick google search might turn up a forum or other info that might help you. Good luck!
I use a Vitamix dry container (5200) and it works great. It can get warm though- freeze the berries first. Don’t do more than 2 cups (1.5 or less is best). Let the mixer cool between batches for a few minutes. The heat destroys some of the enzymes, but otherwise if you don’t mind that then not as big of a deal.
Hi Mel,
Do you have a reliable recipe for making a single loaf of whole wheat bread? I’m ready to start experimenting with grinding my own wheat. (What a treat to find out my mom has an unused wheat grinder in her garage!) I’d like to be able to experiment with the different whites and red wheats, but I don’t want to crank out 4-6 loaves per experiment. Thanks so much!
Michelle – that’s a great question and unfortunately, I haven’t adapted any of these recipes myself for just one loaf although I completely understand where you are coming from. I believe someone commented just above you about adapting it for 2 loaves so you might check out her comment and see what she did. Good luck!
If you like to use 100% whole wheat (with a wee bit o’ gluten flour thrown in for good rise, and spring), here’s my recipe for making a honey cracked wheat loaf:
240 gms 105° F (41° C) Tap water
Precooked cracked wheat berries (67.5 gms berries, 100 gms water)
336 gms whole wheat flour
24 gms Vital Wheat Gluten
85 gms Honey (I prefer clover, but you can use whatever you have)
35 gms EVOO (or you can sub Canola if you’re out of EVOO)
7 gms Pink Sea Salt (Dollar Tree has pounds for just a buck!)
7 gms Dry Bread Yeast (I use mostly gold label, or red label depending on the season)
I use a bread machine (to save my arthritic hands all the pain) set to loaf, then roll the loaf out onto a floured pastry skin, then form and place into the pan for last rising. 45 minutes later, I bake at 350° F (177° C) for 40 minutes in a Pullman Loaf Pan (covered) then remove to cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before packaging, or slicing. Share, and enjoy!
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I made a loaf of bread, and the bread tastes fine, so I guess the wheat is still good. Thanks.
Mel, I have a question about my hard red wheat berries. When I open the container, there is a very strong smell. It doesn’t really smell rancid – it’s more of a sweet smell. Is that normal for hard red, or is that the first sign it’s going bad? I don’t notice it with my hard white or soft white berries. Thanks.
Terry A. – as long as it doesn’t smell bad (rancid), I think it should be ok. My red wheat berries have a strong smell, too. I don’t know that I would describe it as sweet but there is definitely a smell there. I’d say go ahead and use it up (try out a small quantity and if the taste seems off then you’ll know!).
If it’s good, it will smell sweet, cereal-y and nice.
Rancid wheat will smell really bad, nasty, not like you want to eat it.
I’m using wheat berries I’ve had stored for almost 25 years, and they still smell sweet and wholesome.
Once you grind them the clock starts ticking for rancidity. I keep my few cups of pre-ground flour in the freezer to slow the breakdown of the released fat, which causes it to go rancid. Only grind as much as you’re going to use within a week or two, and enjoy the sweet smell of your berries!
Hi Mel. I just came across your blog and I really enjoyed reading it! I found this post about wheat and I really liked what you said. I just thought I would let you know that my dad cleans and sells his own wheat and his prices are a lot lower then what you have mentioned here. He just started his web page and it is http://www.davesfarms.com. He sells his wheat for $13.00 for a 50 lb bag. He does charge a dollar per item to deliver it. He does buckets as well for $20 for a 45 lb bucket.
I’ve recently acquired some red spring wheat berries from a friend whose family grows wheat. It is basically fresh from the field. I spent several days finishing the drying process at home (in my oven) because he told me the moisture content was a bit high. I used a box fan to blow out the chaff and picked out the big trash (unhulled wheat heads, bug parts, pebbles, etc.).
I really, really want to use this stuff, but I can’t find anything that indicates if I need to wash the berries and redry them before grinding or if I can just grind them straight from the buckets. Can you offer any insights, please?
Nancy – I’m afraid I’m not much help. I’m not familiar with all the phases wheat goes through to get from the field to the wheat berries I buy so I’m not sure if you need to wash them or dry them again. I know there are a few people who have commented previously who grew up in families that farmed wheat so hopefully they’ll see your comment and chime in!
Just as an FYI for buying wheat…
We live in Northern Utah, and bought 300 pounds of hard white wheat when it went on sale at Honeyville (they have a few retail stores, and I believe you can also order online). If you sign up for their email list, they’ll inform you when they have promotions. My cousin told me about it, and we bought 50 pound bags of hard white wheat for $14.99/each!!!! Pretty awesome deal. If you’re serious about grinding your own wheat, and/or looking for it for food storage (as we were), I’d highly recommend looking for a good deal and then buying in bulk. I’ve been checking prices all over the place, and I can’t find ANYONE that has a better price than when we bought it at. Thanks for a great post!
Grandpasgrains.com is another great source for wheat! My dad farms the wheat in Idaho and delivers it all throughout the west. It is non-GMO ( contrary to another poster’s comment, there was recently GMO wheat found in a source from Montana) and our hard white wheat has at least 14% protein which makes it premium and equal in nutrition to the hard red. Check us out!
It’s great your supplying this info to people! Thanks!
I have learned over the years that if you buy untreated wheat (not fumigated, oxygen packets, or sealed) then you can sprout the wheat and gain more nutrition from that in case you have to live off of it. That wheat is considered ‘still living’. The wheat that has been treated is ‘dead’ and unable to be sprouted. I store mine in 5 gallon buckets and every 3 years you are supposed to open the wheat buckets that are in storage and pour them into another bucket so the wheat can get air to breath so it won’t die (and can still be sprouted). A note about rice, you can freeze rice for 3 days and that’s as good as an oxygen packet to keep weavel from hatching. Do you have a post on sprouting wheat? I have tried it but find ways to use it a little harder. Thanks for all the wonderful info!
you only show 3 types of wheat , there is also a hard red spring wheat with a protein of about 12-14 , and durum that they use for pasta .
A handy tip for storing grains, flour, rice and etc. that we learned from one of our coop members several years ago. – To put bay leaves In the containers, sealed bags or otherwise. It has worked great for us.
You can also buy hard white and hard red at Walmart.com. It is $25 for 26 lbs, and the shipping is free if you spend $45. Saving up to buy a mill. Can’t wait to try this!
Another place to look into online for purchasing wheat berries and other grains is http://www.rainydayfoods.com (some might know them as Walton feed). They are located in southeast Idaho, but I do know they ship, just not sure about the cost. My parents live in the area so they are my shipping truck when they come to visit. Just another idea for those looking for a place to purchase wheat berries and other grains.
This was a fantastic entry! I’m really looking forward to your next entry on wheat grinders. I’ve got a Whisper Mill that I really like, but we’re trying to make our minds up on a manual one. Hoping you’ll have some thoughts on this. Thanks!
Mel –
I LOVE your blog, and I just want to say I am SO excited about this series, especially the different types of wheat grinders! But I have a very urgent question. WHAT IS THAT WHEAT ON?! that gorgeous wood … I assume table? Can we see a bigger picture of that bc it is GORGEOUS.
Also, I do want to say that as recently as four years ago there were some LDS Food Storage Centers (mostly out east that I know of) that you did have to be at least WITH a member of the LDS church to purchase it because it is all volunteer hours that kept them open, etc. This policy definitely might have changed in more recent years. But it sounds like online would be a perfect option anyways!