Barley. More than just for soups, livestock or beer.

Although this is a truthfully delicious and nutritious grain, more than half of the barley grown in the US is used for beer. Most of what remains is used for livestock.

Finding whole barley outside of health food stores takes a little effort. Often most "whole" versions will still be missing the hull, so shop wisely. "Hulled barley" (meaning the hull is still on) has far more fiber and minerals than pearled barley which has been stripped of the germ and the bran and polished up to six times to give it a smooth surface.

Hulled barley should be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container or kept away from light, heat, and moisture. If kept in this manner it will stay fresh for up to several months. Since most all of the oils which could go rancid have already been removed, pearled barley can be kept at room temperature for a longer time.

Substitute hulled barley for any recipe where you see pearled barley, but keep in mind that it will take approximately two hours to cook, much longer than the 45 minutes recommended for pearled. You can start by pre-cooking the hulled barley well before it’s needed in the recipe. You can also serve it cooked alone with some simple seasoning as a side dish or in grain salads as you would wheat kernels.

Technorati Tags: hulled, barley, beer, pearled, grain

Hard White Spring Wheat

Did you know? That there are several hundred varieties of wheat?! They are put into a certain classes as well, depending upon their color, the hardness and shape of the kernel, as well as the time of year the wheat is planted and harvested. This particular wheat (pictured on the left) is called Hard White Spring.

It is called that because it's a harder grain and used for more yeast breads, tortillas, hard rolls, etc. It is a lighter color than the "Red" grains thus called "white". It was also planted in the spring and harvested in either late summer or early fall, and that's why it's a Spring wheat.

Those are the ways to classify a grain. It seems like a pretty easy way to identify them, even you can do it. Let's say I told you that I had a softer kernel of wheat that had a light white color, and I had planted it in late October and harvested in May. What can you tell me that is? It's simple. That would mean it was a Soft White Winter wheat. See what I mean now? Pretty cool huh? There are many other different types of grain and classes, I'll get into a few more of them later on. :)

Thanks for reading!

Technorati Tags: Wheats, Grains, Hard White Spring, Hard Wheat

Whole wheat bread versus white bread

There's a battle going on between whole wheat bread and white bread. So which one is better? Of course this is all a matter of opinion, but let's face the facts. Whole wheat bread is more nutritious and white bread just isn't. And here's why...

A grain is the seed of a plant, and it is made up of three parts - the bran, the germ, and the endosperm. The bran is the outer layer of the grain that contains most of the fiber. The germ is the part of the grain that, if planted, would produce a new sprout. The germ is packed with protein, some fat, and other nutrients. The endosperm is the interior, starchy part of a kernel and makes up about 83% of the whole grain.

I say this all because white flour is made up of just the endosperm. The starchy part of the grain that has little nutrients. So when you eat the white bread, it is basically nutrition less. Through the bleaching and sifting process, almost all of the nutrients are gone. Not to mention all the chemicals and preservatives they put in the white bread to increase it's shelf life. Which you don't need in your body!

While whole wheat bread also has chemicals and preservatives put in. It is a bit better than the white bread due to the fact that there is still some bran and germ in the flour. How much though? We may never know exactly. It has more fiber which is essential in everyone diet, and it is also one of the major things lacking today.

That's why baking your own whole wheat bread at home is the best way to go. But we'll talk about this more a bit later.

Just go for whole wheat bread from the store, over the white bread. It may not be the absolute best, but it sure is much better than the white bread nutrition wise. Also, it can even taste MUCH better if you find great brand. Try a few different ones and see what you think.

Thanks for reading and happy eating! :)

Technorati Tags: Wheat Bread, Whole Wheat, Grains