| Author | Content |
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 6, 2008
3:04 PM Post #4503353
| I don't like where the prices are heading. I might want to start.
[HYPERLINK@www.usatoday.com]
BB |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
February 6, 2008
3:46 PM Post #4503530
| I don't suppose that the economics would be the main reason, but rather the different choices and the potential health benefits of whole grains. I've got some wheat and am going to plant some hulless oats. we've got some corn too. I don't know if the oats will be used much unless some very delicious eating could pop up for it...please don't say goopy/lumpy oatmeal. |
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 6, 2008
4:08 PM Post #4503618
| Mother Earth has a great article in the most recent issue on cooking with oats.
Do you grind your own wheat? Is it hard to grow. How much do you need to grow to get a usable amount?
BB |
Hineni
Appalachian Mtns, SW, VA
(Zone 6b)
February 6, 2008
4:14 PM Post #4503636
| I currently grind our organic wheat that I buy with a manual stone grinder, and I am trying to plan crops for what I foresee as our 'homestead' land allotment. I'd love to hear from others who have successfully grown for their family, and for their livestock.
I plan on growing sourghum for livestock, oats, hay and maybe some other types of feed. Still so new not sure what is the best in order to not have to purchase feed.
The planning process is verrry tedious, and I have to prove myself to the lesser excited one of the two of us (sigh)
|
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 6, 2008
4:24 PM Post #4503671
| Ditto
I'd like to know more too
BB |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
February 6, 2008
6:55 PM Post #4504185
| BB,
The grains will not likely require raised beds. ...of course fertility helps.
A 20x20 bed of wheat would be a good start...maybe a half bushel [30#] if all goes really well. |
AYankeeCat
Fairfield County, CT
(Zone 6b)
February 6, 2008
7:57 PM Post #4504505
| I found a vendor that has perennial grain seeds. [HYPERLINK@www.psrseed.com] |
Hineni
Appalachian Mtns, SW, VA
(Zone 6b)
February 6, 2008
11:12 PM Post #4505563
|
| Quoted: | The grains will not likely require raised beds. ...of course fertility helps.
A 20x20 bed of wheat would be a good start...maybe a half bushel [30#] if all goes really well. |
Thanks Indy. It's so hard to figure out what household needs are when you're a newb at this like me (heck, don't even have the land yet!)
Cool link YankeeCT (ack more seeds, run away, run away) Seed catalogs are already piling up on my desk right now :) |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
12:24 AM Post #4505892
| You can use some of your sourghum to make molasses. You could raise sugar cane for that. It makes a lighter syrup. Can't beat good cane syrup. |
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
7:45 AM Post #4506387
| Thanks Indy:
When do you plant it? |
darius
Marion, VA
(Zone 5b)
February 7, 2008
10:49 AM Post #4506841
| Hmmmm, interesting thoughts. I might consider growing some alternative, nutritious grains on my small patch IF I could find some that return enough food for the space. |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
11:06 AM Post #4506894
| Darius
Do you plan on having bee hives? |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
11:13 AM Post #4506923
| Thanks for the idea. Hadn't really though about trying this in a home garden. I'm not sure I have enough room to make it viable. But worth checking on. I can remember my parents hand scything ripe wheat as a kid. That was back in NE, but there was a local "mill" that did the grinding. I'm sure they would both be dumbfounded to discover I am into gardening in a big way. LOL I use to hate to get my hands dirty, now I can't wait.
I can also remember going out and picking some field corn for corn on the cob. You have to catch it just right, but boy was that good! |
darius
Marion, VA
(Zone 5b)
February 7, 2008
11:21 AM Post #4506948
| No bees for me. Neighbors down the road have some, enough for me to get honey |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
11:21 AM Post #4506949
| I love fresh corn, also. My favorite way to cook it is to pull the silk out, cook it in the microwave until just tender then slather it with butter, a bit of salt and a shake of garlic powder. |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
11:23 AM Post #4506955
| That's handy. It must be quite a job to rob a hive. Being local honey you will still get the benefits of the allergy resistance. |
AYankeeCat
Fairfield County, CT
(Zone 6b)
February 7, 2008
11:23 AM Post #4506956
| The company is out of perennial wheat seeds but they have a couple of kinds of rye. Could you imagine people in the 'burbs growing grain instead of lawns? You would only have to "mow" it once a year! |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
11:25 AM Post #4506962
| Can you imagine the "education" you would have to do with yuppie neighbors if you wanted to do that? Eweeeeeeeeeh |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
11:27 AM Post #4506973
| And think of all the birds it would attract. |
Indy
Alexandria, IN
(Zone 5b)
February 7, 2008
3:22 PM Post #4507976
| BB,
Winter wheat is sown here in early October.. Earlier runs the risk of the Hessian Fly so they have "fly free" dates listed in ag papers. There are other specialty wheats that are not so palatable in some ways. Harvest is late June or early July when weather delayed. You could clip/mow the straw and transplant fall broccoli I would think if you add nitrogen.
Rye is fall sown also. Corn for meal of course is sown in spring. There are variations in the flour and oil in different varieties.
We tried some field corn when I was a kid one time when the sweet corn wasn't ready yet...kinda ugh when you are spoiled. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
3:25 PM Post #4507987
| Indy, that's a great idea for the wheat, although it's a pretty heavy feeder. But a dressing of compost on the straw before planting should take care of the broccoli's needs. And the wheat straw breaking down should help add to the soil as well.
|
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
5:02 PM Post #4508414
| How about Buckwheat for grain? I'm growing it as a cover crop and to attract beneficials,
BB |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
5:15 PM Post #4508471
| Well, it would be easy to harvest. The stems are hollow. And buckwheat is good eating. |
AYankeeCat
Fairfield County, CT
(Zone 6b)
February 7, 2008
5:26 PM Post #4508512
| It actually has a rather pretty, but plain flower. |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
6:05 PM Post #4508633
| The bees certainly love it. |
CascadeMom
Cascade Mtns, WA
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
6:36 PM Post #4508765
| Indy I LOVE Oats and not just oatmeal... though I do eat oatmeal most every day and it is not lumpy.
Oatmeal with homemade applebutter some cinnamon and a sprinkling of almonds! mmmmMMM
Grind it fine and use as a flour or add to your wheat flour.
Makes a bread or cookie moister and keep better, not to mention all the nutrion it adds.
My fruit cobblers are all made with oat flour and oat/nut crumblies on top.
I live so close to wheat country that I just buy 2 (5) gallon buckets (red and white) locally and grind as I need.
I think it comes out to about 50Lbs and lasts a year for us. But I bake a LOT!
oops! 2 buckets both 5 gallon size. :)
This message was edited Feb 7, 2008 7:15 PM |
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 7, 2008
8:16 PM Post #4509296
| Can someone who has done it just walk us newbies on the how-to's. I can grow some buckwheat and wouldn't even begin to know how to go about processing it into grain.
Thanks
BB |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
9:54 PM Post #4509698
| I remember reading an article on growing buckwheat many years ago in Mother earth News. I cut it out and think I still have it. I will have to check. |
clousert
Madisonburg, PA
February 7, 2008
10:24 PM Post #4509862
| BronxBoy, I assume you mean processing buckwheat into flour. It is already a grain. Nature does that for us. Whole wheat flours are simply the pulverized, super-fine grinding of the grain. Removing the hulls and middlings to make pure "white flour" is something more of a challenge. It involves blowing air across the flour, and/or sifting coarser hulls from the fine wheat. Read more about it at [HYPERLINK@www.thefreshloaf.com]
|
CascadeMom
Cascade Mtns, WA
(Zone 6a)
February 7, 2008
11:17 PM Post #4510055
| white wheat will give you a whiter flour not like the bleached store kind but
easier for some to transistion with. Straight red wheat is pretty heavy for most.
|
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 8, 2008
7:12 AM Post #4510786
| Thanks
BB |
darius
Marion, VA
(Zone 5b)
February 8, 2008
11:36 AM Post #4511656
|
| Quoted: | There are three main types of Wheat with active, liquid futures contracts traded on them: Soft Red Winter Wheat (Chicago Board of Trade), Hard Red Winter Wheat (Kansas City Board of Trade), and Hard Red Spring Wheat (Minneapolis Board of Trade). In futures vernacular, each type of Wheat is typically referred to by the city in which it is traded, such as Chicago Wheat is used instead of Soft Red Winter Wheat, while Kansas City and Minneapolis refer to Hard Winter and Spring, respectively.
Though there are many different varieties of Wheat grown throughout the world, such as Soft/Hard/White/Red, there are only two main classifications of Wheat, winter and spring. Winter Wheat is planted in the winter and Spring Wheat is planted in the spring, hence the names. Each particular type of Wheat, Hard Red, Soft Red, Durum and White, requires slightly different climatic conditions for growth and is best suited for each type. The most prevalent class of Wheat grown in the Untied States is Hard Red Winter or Kansas City Board of Trade Wheat. Hard Red Winter Wheat is grown predominantly in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, and the Texas panhandle. The cold, sub zero winters and the general lack of precipitation make these regions of the country ideal for Hard Red Winter Wheat production. The primary use of Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour is for bread making.
Soft Red Winter Wheat futures, the most actively traded Wheat futures contract, are traded on the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT). The first modern futures contract was for Soft Red Winter Wheat. Soft Red Winter Wheat is grown in diverse areas of the country, central Texas, towards the northeastern Great Lakes and east to the Atlantic. Soft Red Wheat is grown in more humid environments, not suited to hard grain production. The flour from Soft Red Winter Wheat is used to make cakes, cookies, snack foods, crackers and pastries.
Hard Red Spring Wheat is grown in the Northern Plains states where the winters are too severe for Winter Wheat production, but the rich black soil and the dry, hot summers make it ideal for this type of wheat. The major producing states are Montana, Wyoming, North and South Dakota, as well as Idaho. This high grade Wheat is suitable for milling and used primarily in breads.
The other varieties of Wheat grown in the United States are Durum and White Wheat. Durum Wheat has the hardest of all the wheat kernels. It contains the highest proportion of protein of any of the classes of wheat. This Wheat is primarily used in the production of pasta, spaghetti, macaroni and other various pastas. Due to its high protein content, Durum wheat flour is not suitable for breads or pastries. Both Winter and Spring Wheat strains are grown in the United States, primarily in Michigan, New York, Oregon, and Washington. White Wheat accounts for the least amount of acreage grown of any of the Wheat varieties. White Wheat is often substituted for Soft Red Winter Wheat since its protein content and texture milled into a flour is suited for similar purposes (cakes, cookies, snack foods, crackers and pastries). |
[HYPERLINK@www.commodityseasonals.com] |
garden_mermaid
Sunnyvale, CA
(Zone 9b)
February 10, 2008
2:39 PM Post #4520070
| General rule of thumb is hard wheat for yeasted and levained breads, soft wheat for pastries and cakes. The hard wheats have a higher gluten content, hence the higher protein levels. Some countries do include some durum wheat mixed with other hard wheats for traditional bread.
If you are considering small scale grains, you may want to look into the ancient and "traditional" or heirloom varieties of grain like Spelt, Kamut, Emmer, Einkorn etc, especially if you are thinking of adding grains to your offerings at market.
I know of a few grain CSAs here on the west coast. Our local (relatively) one is sold
out on shares, has been for some time.
Here is a blog post that will give you an idea of what might be included in a grain CSA delivery:
[HYPERLINK@locavoreoncore.blogspot.com]
The green box on page 3 of this ATTRA newletter tells more about the Windborne Farms CSA:
[HYPERLINK@attra.ncat.org]
Here is another one from Washington State:
[HYPERLINK@www.bluebirdgrainfarms.com] |
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 10, 2008
2:47 PM Post #4520102
| I am growing to grow out several stands of buckwheat. I may need some help to change them into grain
BB |
taynors
Urbana, OH
(Zone 5b)
February 10, 2008
7:33 PM Post #4521130
| here is a link i found with some good info and great books !!!! on growing your own grain
I m soooo glad your all experimenting too.
I too am going to grow our own grain and grain for feed. We will pasture feed our animals too.
Be intersting to see ow it all turns out with all of us doing this. :)
[HYPERLINK@www.bountifulgardens.org]
I am going to get some of the books that this site has.
I have a link for grain mills
[HYPERLINK@www.countrybaker.com]
though a bit pricey it gives an idea on what is out their and cost wise. :)
best
sue |
doccat5
Fredericksburg, VA
(Zone 7b)
February 11, 2008
6:32 AM Post #4522969
| BB, you might check Mother Earth. I vaguely recall reading articles on this awhile back. |
CajuninKy
Inez, KY
(Zone 6a)
February 11, 2008
10:14 AM Post #4523418
| I looked for the old article on buckwheat but cannot seem to locate it. I had cut it out over 20 years ago so it is not suprising. I do remember it talked about using a lawn mower set up high. I don't recall whether that was for cutting or threshing. |
garden_mermaid
Sunnyvale, CA
(Zone 9b)
February 11, 2008
2:07 PM Post #4524398
| Perhaps some of these links will help. You might try searching YouTube on the topic as well. There used to be some videos of farmer's harvesting buckwheat in various countries.
[HYPERLINK@www.nysaes.cornell.edu]
[HYPERLINK@www.nysaes.cornell.edu]
[HYPERLINK@www.jeffersoninstitute.org] |
BronxBoy
Lawrenceville, GA
(Zone 7b)
February 11, 2008
2:59 PM Post #4524564
| Thanks |
