New blog address!

Just an FYI for those of you who found this site...our up and running Real Women Store grub website is located at http://realwomenstoregrub.karalene.com/

Hope to see you there!
Mellyn :)

PUMPKIN - Pumpkin Oatmeal

• 4 cups Milk
• 1 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 15 oz. cans pumpkin
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or cinnamon
• 4 cups Regular Rolled Oats
• Maple Syrup, Optional
• 
  
• In a small saucepan, combine the milk, sugar, pumpkin, vanilla and spice.
  Bring to a gentle boil and stir in oatmeal. Reduce heat, stir and simmer for 2
  to 3 minutes, until the oatmeal is soft and creamy.
  
  Spoon into bowls drizzle with maple syrup!
• 
  
• Note on milk: Can you make this with powdered milk? You bet! How much powder will simply depend on the brand you use. To simplify things here we will just tell you how much milk you need in each recipe. Mix up a batch and keep it in your fridge to add to all your cooking!

Wondrous Wheat!

The more I learn about wheat, the more amazed I am by what you can do with it! You can use it for baked goods or cook it, and eat it for cereal. You can sprout it (Go live enzymes!), you can use it as a meat extender. There are even recipes for making "meat" out of it (although I haven't ventured into this arena yet!)

Different Types of Wheat

Hard Red Wheat is what most of us associate with wheat. It has a rich, nutty flavor that adults seem to like and kids tend to disdain. Because of climate and growing conditions it’s been the dominate wheat grown in America.

Hard White Wheat has the same nutritional content as red wheat, but a softer, sweeter flavor. It also rises better and is whiter in color. I read several different theories on its introduction to America, but most agree it’s been used extensively in other parts of the world for a long time. One source says it was introduced in Spain in the early 1800s. Kansas State University did much of the research to help bring hard white wheat to American fields in the early 1980s.

The following website has photos of experiments comparing dough and loaves made with white vs. red. What they found is consistent with my own experience.

http://www.thefreshloaf.com/node/6985/wheat-red-vs-white-spring-vs-winter

Soft White Wheat has a lower protein content than hard wheats, with only 9-10% protein, as opposed to 15-16% protein in hard varieties. The lower protein content makes it ideal for baking just about anything but bread. My kids thought we were using white flour after we started making pancakes and muffins with soft white wheat instead of hard white wheat! The only bad thing about it, is that it’s harder to find.

Can’t I just store white flour?

You could, and I confess I do store a couple buckets for variety…(wait until you taste the Butterhorn rolls in December!) But if you’re looking for food that takes up less space and offers a bigger nutritional punch, white flour isn’t what you want.

First, it doesn’t store nearly as long. There’s a persisting myth that wheat found in the tombs of Egypt sprouted after 3,000 years! Although Wikipedia reports this isn’t true, your wheat will easily last 20-30 years when stored correctly. Compare that to my white flour in Florida that started acquiring a metallic taste after just 8 months.

In addition, white flour is empty nutritionally. You see, when you grind a kernel of wheat (called a berry) you’re using all three layers – the bran, the endosperm and the germ. Vegetarian Times reports that in white flour (which uses only the endosperm) 30 nutrients are removed during processing and only 5 have to be added back to earn the label “enriched.” Additionally, to get the fiber contained in a single piece of wheat bread, you’d have to eat 8 pieces of white bread.

So where can I buy wheat and how do I store it?

The cheapest way to get hard wheat is to go to an LDS cannery and pick up a 25# bag for about $11. (These home storage centers are open to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation.) Pour it into your gamma seal bucket and you're set...for short term storage. I would only recommend storing the wheat you're using from day to day like this. Nasty little bugs love wheat, so you definitely want to protect it if you plan of having it around for awhile.

Because wheat stores indefinitely once it's sealed, for long-term storage I prefer to pay a little more and put my wheat in cans or in Mylar bags and sealed buckets. I bake out of my bucket with the gamma lid, and simply store the stuff that is packaged for long-term storage. That way I don't have to keep track of whether I’ve rotated 14 buckets. I have it. I know where it is. And it's going to stay there for the next 20 years or so with virtually no loss of flavor or nutritional value.

How do I get from wheat to flour?

One of your first storage investments should definitely be a grinder. I have both a hand grinder and an electric grinder called a Nutrimill. I LOVE that thing! I pour wheat in the top and flour pours into the hopper at the bottom. It grinds wheat so fine it rivals the silky feeling of white flour. If I were on the lookout for a grinder, I’d start my search at Pleasant Hill Grain or Emergency Essentials.