How To Buy Whole Grains
Because of the availability and ease of use of home grain mills, purchasing whole grains for home milling has become a very easy process with lasting effects and benefits. Individuals who buy whole grains for home milling not only save a lot of money in the end but end up enjoying gourmet-like baking with unmatched nutrition. There are so many whole grains out there in the market today and while trying to find the right one to buy, it may feel like searching for a needle in, well, a heap of whole grains.
Because of whole grains, everything from pasta and bread to breakfast cereals, pastries, and salads gets not only a flavor but also nutrition boost and texture. A stash of whole grains can come in handy when there is an emergency food shortage because well stored whole grains will last indefinitely. A quick tip when buying whole grains, always go for grains that have undamaged kernels. This is because the outer bran layer will protect the flavor of the kernel and nutrients from light and air destruction; hence it comes in rather handy. That said, when buying whole grains:-
- You first have to locate a good and trusted source where to buy your whole grains for home milling. You can look at natural and health food stores, food co-ops, and even in online stores. Better still, you can even visit your local bakery or natural bread store and inquire if they mill their own flour because if they do, it can be a good chance to buy whole grains in bulk through their source.
Establish whether Frankferd Farms, Beckers, Wheat Montana, Quail Cover Farms, or other known natural food sources have food co-ops delivery services in your local area. If they have, you can find out what it entails becoming their regular customer and plan to place a bulk order for whole grains
Establish the kind of whole grains that best suit your baking needs. For instance, if you love baking heavy wheat loaves, you can always order hard red wheat and for lighter loaves, you can always go with white wheat. Note that white wheat is a whole grain in its own right but has a lighter flavor and texture. In case you want to make sourdough bread, buy rye and for Irish oatmeal, you can never go wrong with whole oats.
To save money, always buy in large quantities at each particular time (normally 45lbs. and above) will not only help you save money but will be a great value. Before buying though, you have to ensure you have buckets with tight fitting lids so that the whole grains will not attract pests. The buckets can be found at your local grain supplier
Last but not least, you can start experimenting by milling your whole grains at different textures – for cereals, course texture will do and pastries will need very fine texture.
Always keep in mind that when buying whole grains, they should always smell fresh. Once you ground your grains, and some of the whole grain flour remains unused, you should store the flour in moisture-tight containers in the refrigerator where they can last up to 4 months. However, it’s advisable to let the flour come back to normal room temperature before you use it for your next cooking for best results.
That said, all whole grain foods are known to be healthy for human consumption as they contain a lot of nutrients and fiber. The best part about buying them whole and milling at home is that it ensures they remain intact and fresh and no additives are added on the whole grain flours, unlike when you’re buying ready-made whole grain flours.
