Whole grains are the backbone of any long-term food storage,
and wheat is the most important grain to store.
Once you have hundred's of #10 cans of
wheat stored the questions quickly arise,
"What do I do with it all?
How can I use it in real,
everyday, non-emergency life?"
If you have ever pondered these questions
then stay in tune because
I will share how I use wheat in my
everyday cooking with my family.
Cooked wheat berries (the whole wheat kernel)
provide an excellent way to extend many recipes
so I will start here and branch out.
COOKED WHEAT BERRIES
To make using wheat berries more convenient, cook a big batch all at once and then freeze them so that you will have cooked wheat on hand when you need it. I find the easiest way to cook a large batch is to use my crock pot. I put the wheat and water in before I go to bed, turn it on low, and it is ready first thing in the morning. It is as easy as that!
4 Cups wheat
12 Cups water
12 Cups water
1 Teaspoon salt
When I wake our breakfast is ready (wheat berries with brown sugar or honey and milk,) plus I have a supply of cooked wheat to use throughout the month. I drain and freeze the rest in small amounts, 1 or 2 cups in freezer bags or tupperware. The wheat is now ready to stir it into almost anything I am making. When I need it, I just take it out of the freezer in the morning and let it thaw in my refrigerator.
You can store the cooked wheat up to a week in your refrigerator and several months in the freezer.
Stir in Ideas:
· Add to crumbled hamburger
· Lasagna
· Spaghetti
· Sloppy Joe's
· Tacos
· Enchiladas
· Chili
· Beef and Broccoli
· Sprinkle on Yogurt
· Salads
· Soups or stews
· Serve with butter and salt
· Use in place of cooked rice or beans
· Serve with vegetables as a side dish
· Grate cheese over it and serve
I am glad you gave a list of ideas. I've cooked wheat in a crockpot before, froze it, and then took it out and ate it instead of cold cereal...it was yummy. I think I will cook a pot and get more wheat back into our diets. We are trying to eat healthier and that will be a nice addition to our meal plans! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThis reminds me of mom. I remember eating wheat for breakfast when I was little.
ReplyDeleteI have fond memories of eating it growing up also. The older children in the family would call the wheat berries crunchy bugs just to frighten the younger siblings in hopes that they would speak out in rebellion to Mom so that we would not have to eat it. Do you remember that Natasha?
ReplyDeleteWell, times have certainly changed. My children actually enjoy eating "crunchy bugs" for breakfast. :) They think it's hilarious.
I absolutely remember the "crunchy bugs". Crying and pouting never got us out of having to eat it, but I did try.
ReplyDelete