With the rising cost of food and the current economic difficulties in our society, more and more people seem to be interested in learning how to use their long-term food storage to save money and live healthier. Many of us have hundreds of pounds of wheat and other grains laying around in our basements or garages, given to us by well intentioned relatives. Perhaps many of us have even purchased our own wheat, being told that it is one of the essentials for one’s basic food storage. However, herein lies a small problem. I would venture to guess that many, if not most of us, have a very limited repertoire
of ways we typically use our wheat.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a class about this very topic. Apparently, I was not the only one with a problem, as evidenced by the fact that by the time the class was scheduled to begin, there was
standing room only. In hopes that more people will be able to utilize their wheat storage, I would like to share a few of the things I learned about various ways to use wheat, which are not only cost effective, but healthy as well.  One of the most versatile uses of wheat which I learned about in the class is something called wheat berries. These are simple to make and can be used in breakfasts, lunches, dinners, desserts, snacks, and even drinks! To make wheat berries, you simply put five parts water to one part wheat kernels (either white or red--it doesn’t matter.). You then cook this on low in your crockpot for several hours until the kernels have split open and become soft. The teachers
of the class recommended cooking overnight, but in my experimentation, I found it was a little too long to suit my tastes. (Then it becomes creamy wheat!) Anyway, after the berries are cooked to your taste, you can store them in the refrigerator for up to 10 days. Don’t throw out the extra “wheat juice!”  Our instructors informed us that it has many good nutrients in it, and can be used in soups or gravies, shakes, or even flavored with a little bit of honey
and lemon juice and used as a drink. They called the juice “rejuvelac.” 

Back to the berries. You can reheat them for a delicious breakfast cereal (I found fresh mixed fruit, chopped pecans, brown sugar, and cinnamon added on top was a delightful treat my whole family enjoyed!).  Don’t limit yourself by serving this cereal with just milk, though--experiment with different fruit juices as well. One of the great things about wheat berries is that they take on the flavor of whatever you are cooking with them, much like tofu.  You can also use the wheat berries in stir-frys in place of rice (the berries have many more nutrients then white rice!) or with your meat base for tacos or nachos. I recently made a chicken taco meat base to which I added wheat berries, and my family thought it was delicious! Better yet, it extended the meal so we had enough for lunch the next day as well.  I have also thrown a cup or two of the berries in homemade vegetarian chili. My husband informed me that the texture of the berries is similar enough to ground beef that he doesn’t even miss the meat.  You can also use the wheat berries in place of some of the meat in meatloaf. Another idea is to throw a handful on a homemade pizza (under the cheese, so your family doesn’t see it!). A snack that our teachers informed us tastes similar to Triscuits can be made by putting cooked wheat berries or creamy wheat on a lightly greased cookie sheet, sprinkling with a seasoning of your choice, and baking for about an hour, or until crisp, on a low heat. Some ideas for seasoning which they recommended include cinnamon and sugar, seasoning salt, or pretty much whatever your favorite seasoning might be.  Personally, I am anxious to try the ranch powder I use on my popcorn!

Speaking of popcorn, another snack that sounded quite delicious was popped wheat. To make this, you simply heat a tablespoon or so of oil in a pan, add a few tablespoons of wheat, and let it pop, again, sprinkling on any seasonings of your choice, if you so desire.

We were also taught us how to make bulgar, which is the wheat equivalent of “instant rice.” You simply dry your wheat berries in your oven on low heat, or in your dehydrator. Then you can leave them whole or crack them in a grain mill. They can quickly and easily be reconstituted just like your minute rice.  This would be an ideal breakfast idea for a camping or back backing trip, as they store very well, are lightweight, nutritious, and cook in minutes.

Our class also addressed wheat sprouts, which are extremely healthy and loaded with enzymes, vitamins, and nutrients. Wheat sprouts are easy to digest as well, making them a good place to start for those trying to phase wheat into their family’s diets. Wheat sprouts can be added to breads (about ½ cup per loaf), thrown into soups, eaten plain, put on sandwiches or in salads…you are only limited by your imagination! Another use for wheat sprouts is in making a product called diastatic malt. This can be used in place of sugar or honey in home made bread, and will activate your yeast. It will not make as sweet a loaf of bread as traditional sugar or honey, but hey, if it works, I’d rather save my sugar for other things! To make this malt, you simply sprout your wheat, dry it on low heat in your oven or dehydrator, then grind it up. For the bread, you will need about one teaspoon per loaf. Now here I might make mention that before this class, my uneducated self did not realize there was a difference between wheat sprouts and wheat grass--I just assumed they were the same thing. However, I learned that they
are NOT the same thing--the sprouts are best eaten and most nutritious when the little sprout is only as long as the kernel.

I should also mention that we were taught how to make wheat grass, which can be used in shakes, green drinks, or simply juiced. Our instructors had a specific process they used to make the wheat grass which involved chicken or goat manure, but I just let my sprouts keep growing in their little sprouting container, and even without extra organic matter they turned into beautiful wheat grass, if I do say so myself!

As a result of taking this class, a whole new spectrum of possibilities in regards to using wheat has been opened to me. Hopefully some others will be able to benefit from this information as well.

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