Wheat

About Wheat: The Grain

Types of wheat
-Spring or winter: Winter red wheat tends to have a slightly higher protein and is a bit harder than content than spring. Winter red is better for baking bread. There is not a significant difference in hard or soft white wheat.
-Hard or soft: Hard wheat varieties have higher gluten (protein) and are better for making breads. Soft varieties have lower protein and nutrients and are better for pastries, pastas, and breakfast cereals.
-Red or white: Red wheat tends to have a stronger wheat flavor than white wheat. Most red wheat varieties are hard, and most white wheat varieties are soft, but you can find soft red and hard white if you really prefer one over the other.

Storage
-If unopened, the optimum shelf life of wheat is 12 years or more (the church website says 30+ years). It is edible for a lot longer than that, but won’t necessarily keep the same flavor or nutrient levels.
-If opened, wheat will stay good for about 3 years.
Once it is ground into flour, wheat loses most of its nutrients within a few days unless you store it in the freezer.
-You can add oxygen absorbers, bay leaves, or dry ice to help keep critters out of your wheat.

The Grind
A lot of people are intimidated by grinding wheat, or wonder how you grind wheat. It’s actually really simple and wheat grinders are available in a wide range of prices. The main thing you need to decide is if you are planning to use your wheat stores on a regular basis and rotate through them. In this case you would buy a quality electric grinder. If you only want to use your wheat in an emergency situation you can buy a hand grinder.

Wheat suggestion for one person for one year: 129 lbs
Price at cannery (subject to change):
Hard White: $7.85 for 25 lbs
Hard Red: $6.75 for 25 lbs