Inch By Inch Preparedness

A Little About Wheat In Your Storage

From the standpoint of food production, storage, handling, and the Lord’s counsel, wheat should have high priority. Water, of course, is essential. Other basics could include honey or sugar, legumes, milk products or substitutes, and salt or it’s equivalent. Ezra Taft Benson

I have always felt that storing wheat is a top priority. The more study I do into it’s amazing value and qualities, the more I understand exactly why we have been asked to store it. I know it is hard for some people, and they say they will never use it, but dang! Learn how to use it on a regular basis people, and get your family used to it.

You will need to also have a wheat grinder on hand. There are basically two kinds, an electric one, and a hand grinder. The electric grinder will serve you well, especially while you are experimenting with learning how to use wheat, and we have power available. The hand grinder is one that you could practice on a family night, take turns grinding, give everyone the opportunity to experience just how much work goes into a loaf of bread. Remember the children’s story of the Little Red Hen? Get everyone involved.

When you store wheat, you also need to store yeast. If you are planning on making breads of any kind, yeast is vital. Yeast has a long shelf life, if it is unopened. Also in the freezer will extend it’s life.

Vital wheat gluten you can purchase at the store, and it is a “nice” thing to have when you are making whole wheat bread with freshly ground flour. Adding a little wheat gluten will allow it to hold together better and not be so crumbly. You could also use half whole wheat and half white flour which will also make a better loaf. But, in a pinch, if you only have fresh whole wheat flour, it will keep you alive and taste pretty darn good.

Another option for whole wheat bread is soy lecithin. It is used in bread to help it achieve a great loaf and also to help extend the life of a loaf slightly. This is important because home made bread doesn’t have the normal preservatives of store boughten bread so it will go bad much quicker than others. Soy lecithin is a natural preservative, and it also helps the loaf to be fluffier, holding together and last longer. It is a great extra to add to your storage.

If you, like me, believe wheat has a high priority place in your pantry, then learn how and figure out the tricks well before you “have to” use it. Get your family used to it, and even help them in the making of it. Google will tell you pretty much anything you want to know about using wheat. I will do my best here on this site as well to share what I know and learn, because I am always learning new things. After all these years, who knew? Learning keeps me alive and excited about life.

Happy and Healthy Prepping

Davilyn