Post by atash on Dec 13, 2010 20:10:53 GMT -5
atash, what do you mean Spelt doesn't thresh free? do you mean it's hard to thresh?
You know how all you have to do with wheat is thresh it and the grains break loose from their glumes?
Well, some grains don't do that. Instead, the seeds remain lodged inside the glumes ("hulls"). Most oats and some barleys have the same problem. I think rice has the same problem which is why in Asia you can buy "broken rice" at a discount--it's rice that got broken when they tried to dislodge it from the hull.
Spelt is another grain that does not thresh free. And most small growers are not going to have the equipment to de-hull it. I want to make this easy for my customers so unless we can fix the problem I will probably stop growing spelt.
atash, in regards to the grains, what types are you growing?
We planted quite a bit so I am not entirely sure of every type! I THINK we have one or more varieties each of:
soft white winter wheat
hard white winter wheat
soft red winter wheat
hard red winter wheat
probably at least a dozen varieties of xTriticale
some number of xAgrotriticums (partial amphidiploid hybrids between wheat and wheatgrass)
rye
spelt
There is some Durum floating around (a hard tetraploid wheat); I dunno if it got planted yet.
some other grains will be going in during warmer weather, such as dent corn, flint corn, flour corn, and some grain sorghums.
Another point that I realized may be important when deciding on wheat varieties specifically is what are you doing with it. My sister, the 'Martha Stewart' of the family, talks about this kind of flour for pastries and that kind for bread and on and on. I'm glad I actually listened to her, because I found it interesting to learn that different soft and hard wheats do perform certain food tasks better. Don't know if that helps, I'm new to grains.
You're right and it's very important. If you use the wrong one you might be disappointed that your bread collapses trying to rise, or on the other hand that your cupcakes are tough and leathery. LOL
Pastry flour is soft white (usually) wheat. Bread flour is some sort of hard wheat, usually hard red winter wheat. Hard whole white wheat makes a whole-grain loaf with a mild taste and light color. All purpose is a mixture of soft and hard wheat that is hard enough to make soft bread out of, but soft enough to make pancakes and quickbreads out of IF you are careful not to mix it too much and especially if you add some fat which tenderizes the crumb. Because the hardness of the wheat is hard to control exactly when growing it. the mills can make it fairly uniform just by knowing what the hardness is when it arrives, and mixing the hard and soft flours accordingly, to get a consistent percentage of gluten.
I'd like to make it easier for my customers to figure out what they want, so I will provide a lot of information regarding what is useful for what.
xTriticale is an underused grain (outside of northeastern Europe where it is grown on a huge scale) because they never really figured out a market for it. However if you know what to do with it it turns out to be surprisingly useful. The gluten it contains is "compromised" because of the rye chromosomes. However, as you have pointed out there are many uses for wheat that is low in gluten--why not just use xTriticale? It's easier to grow than wheat and about as productive. One use for it I really like is rolled like an oat, to make an oatmeal-like porridge. It has better-balanced amino acids that Oats, probably similar protein levels, and no Avenin (a protein found in oats) which gives me a tummy ache anyway. I can eat xTriticale without a problem.
Sorghum is also underutilized. A lot of folks buy brown rice flour because they are gluten-sensitive. Sorghum flour would work just as well and unlike rice, it's fairly easy to grow.
I think I inherited that from my grandma too. 
