Recently, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine. We were talking about his food storage and what I recommended that he purchase. Of course, I recommended whole wheat berries as I always do when someone asks. My purchases for my personal food storage and any beginning food storage plan should always start with the basics. Whole wheat and other whole grains are nutrient rich, high in calories and good sources of protein. "But I don't eat much flour and I don't have a grinder" was his and most of the other responses I usually get. Well that discussion inspired this post because I'm going to tell you what you can actually DO with wheat and why it needs to be in your food storage whether you have a grinder or not.
Of course, I do recommend that you get a grinder because without it, making flour will be very labor intensive. Remember that flour is used in pastas, breads, cakes, gravies, crackers and other things. A grinder also processes corn and other grains as well. So if you like cornmeal, grits, pasta or bread then its a good thing to get some kind of grinder to add to your preps. This post isn't about grain mills and grinding grain though. I want to talk about uses for wheat and other whole grains that don't require any grinding.
1. The most obvious use is as a hot cereal. Measure your wheat then add 2x that amount in hot water. Either cook it in a crock pot overnight, on the stove or even in a thermos.
2. Wheat can also be added to soups and stews just like rice or pasta. Just toss some into the pot with everything else.
3. Use it in casseroles just like you would use rice. A little cheese and brocolli or whatever vegetable you like makes a good side dish.
4. Make mixtures like tabouli with cooked wheat.
5. Pop it in a dry skillet like popcorn.
6. Use in place of rice in almost any dish. Think wheat pilaf or wheat a roni.
7. Soak it overnight and the bake it into muffins or bread or even bannock in the morning.
8. Use it for sprouting. (There's another blog post on how to sprout) Then use the sprouts in stir frys, breads, soups, sandwiches etc
9. Use cooked wheat in desserts like rice pudding type dishes.
10. Use it as a meat substitute on lean days. Think wheat burgers or wheat loaf.
11. What about wheat grass? Not my favorite but its packed with nutrients.
12. Use it for feeding animals.
13. Finally, remember that whole grains can be used to grow more food. There are very few foods that will multiply like whole grains (and beans) Just try planting flour and see what grows!
I hope that this helps show that grains should be a part of any Preppers food storage. Yes, I think you need a grinder of some sort but if you can't afford one don't just assume you can't use the grains if you need to. There ARE other ways to grind grain which need to be learned but always remember that there are also other ways to use them without grinding as well.
Southern Wood Elf