Wheat, Glorious Wheat!

No, really... It's awesome.

We grind just enough to bake our own bread or make our own cookies. Whole wheat flour doesn't have the shelf life of AP flour, but the wheat berries last for 30+ years if stored properly

The grinder that we have is a Back to Basics hand grinder. The kids even help and it doesn't take that much time. Eventually we are going to get a Wondermill, but not until we save up for it.

Wheat berries can also be used as a substitution for rice, as a cereal in the morning (cooked overnight in a crockpot), as well as a filler for meat based meals. It stretches your meat budget much like TVP.

Wheat berries are also higher in nutrients than regular 'enriched' flour. So much is stripped away from the wheat that they have to 'add' it back in.

A best way to get wheat is locally (try the bulk bins at the HFS, Grocer, or Local Amish/Mennonite Store. I have found that when buying in bulk the shipping is what gets you, but it is still cheaper than the flour equivalent. Honeyville Farms has one low price for shipping, and also has powdered eggs/dairy and other baking essentials you can buy along with. PleasantHill has the best price for me for superpails (long term storage) and you could use a gamma lid to keep the superpails air tight, yet still accessible.

I get soft white wheat for things like crusts, cakes, brownies or anything that doesn't need gluten. I use hard white wheat for my breads or general use. Hard Red Wheat has a bit of a bitter flavor, so I don't even bother buying it.

I store my wheat that isn't packed for long term in the freezer. It prevents any sort of bug infestation (imagine how many bugs are in your ground up wheat from the store, blech) and is more convienent for me (mobility challenged)

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Terra's Corn Casserole

Yummy Corn Casserole. My sister makes this every time we go to a family event, and Mark asks me if I know it every time. Terra finally shared the recipe (read: I finally got it in print, I am sure she's told me a million times) and I made it last night. Now, I am sharing with you :)

All there is to it:

One can cream corn,
one can regular corn,
one stick butter,
one cup velveeta cheese,
one cup shell macaroni.
Melt butter,
then add the other ingredients.
Bake 30 min. covered and 30 min. uncovered at 350.