Healthy soil and sustainable growing

[<activism98201@verizon.net>]

Flour, milled wheat berries, lasts only a matter of months (whole wheat has a 
relatively short shelf life).  This is because milling results in breaking 
down the protective covering of the wheat berry (think of it as a seed), 
exposing oils which then break down.

Long-term storage of wheat berries, on the other hand, is fairly easy.  In 
general, keep wheat berries dry and in a cool place (and out of sunlight).  I 
use food storage buckets that I get (used) from a restaurant: some people use 
bags within their buckets as a further protection (longer storage).  I only 
figure to store batches of wheat for up to a few years, which, when one 
considers that wheat can be stored for centuries (given optimal conditions), 
is easy to do.

Wheat berries can't be consumed directly, one has to do some kind of 
processing of them.  Processing can be as simple as sprouting, but generally 
takes the form of milling.  Milled wheat can produce anywhere from "cracked 
wheat" to flour.  I use a manual grain mill (Country Living Mill, which is 
just one of many available [I can do very fine flour in one pass]; it's work 
though); there are motorized ones as well.

Always be sure to label anything that you store.  I plaster the shipping 
label (from the bag) on the outside of my buckets, making sure that it tells 
me what's in there, as well as the date (and origin).  I also keep an 
electronic copy (on my computer) of prices paid and storage preparation (such 
as freezing my wheat berries for three days before putting them into 
containers- this helps kill off any bugs that might be lurking).

If you're storing lots of wheat then I'd suggest looking to pick up some 
Gamma Seals (google them) and place these on your working buckets.  These are 
screw top lids which make it easy to access.  They are a bit pricey, so 
that's why I look to only put them on my current/working buckets: no reason 
to have them on buckets you won't be accessing for a long time.

Oh, I get my grains ([organic] wheat and oats) from my local food co-op.  
There are many other places, but watch out for shipping costs!


-Mark Nagel
Everett, WA


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From: willowridgefarm@iowatelecom.net
Date: 2008/03/18 Tue AM 08:15:30 CDT

>
Liz,
Where do you find wheat flour in such quanities and how do you store it?
Cherie