First things first, make sure the wheat you buy is clean hard winter wheat with less than 10% moisture and a protein content above 11.5%...if you do, you'll have no problem with storage. Just make sure the container you store it in is dry and has a tight lid. Rotate cans every six months.
There are lots of fancy equipment to buy to help with wheat storage...but there are also just as many homeade ways! Whatever saves dollars makes sense to me!
You shouldnt just store wheat (or any other items) and never use them in your daily life. That was my main concern about having wheat in my food storage--what the heck will I do with it when the day comes that I might REALLY need what I have stored!!? I am learning while posting, so I dont claim to be an expert on the matter...but here are some tidbits I learned from some recent reading:
1. Steam Wheat. Here are some directions from "A Family Raised On Sunshine"
Use a common pan as a steamer. Put water in the bottom of your pan and then set a container of wheat in the pan on a rack so the steam rises around it. Put 1/2 cup wheat in 2 cups water with 1/2 tsp. salt in wheat container, then enough water in the bottom of the steamer so it doesnt cook dry, put a lid on, and steam the wheat slowly overnight (12 hours)....Then in the morning, you'll be able to enjoy some hot cereal (great with honey, brown sugar, milk or cream) Whatever's left over, cover the container in the refrigerator...it makes the best, most nutritious, most economical meat extender! Use it in chili, spaghetti sauce, meat loaf, etc. Just mix it in with your ground meat.
2. Grinding wheat. Stone grinders are the best. (Here's where I am clueless, i've never seen one before!) A stone grinder is better than a steel bladed one because of the amount of heat generated from the steel-bladed. The more heat used, the more vitamins are destroyed in the wheat germ.
In the Essentials of Home Production and Storage Manual put out by the Church, It says you need 300 LBS of grain per adult for ONE YEAR. Of course, wheat is not the only grain they recommend. Rice and Corn are other common grains we use in our daily lives.
Here's a food storage recipe for Whole Wheat Bread:
1 cup of hot water
1 cup of brown sugar
6 T shortening
1 cup warm water
2 T honey
1/2 oz dry yeast
3 cups warm water
4 t salt
6 cups of white flour
6 cups of whole wheat flour
1 cup of cracked wheat (optional)
Combine first three ingredients; stir until dissolved. Let stand
Combine next three ingredients; let rise
Combine the above 2 mixtures. Add warm water, salt and white flour. Beat vigorously to make a sponge. Mix in whole wheat flour and cracked wheat (if used)
Knead, adding more white flour if needed. Let rise until double in bulk. Punch down. Form into loaves, and let rise until double in bulk.
Bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 6 loaves.
