Einkorn is an ancient wheat like spelt and and emmer, these ancient grains have less gluten and more nutrition than traditional whole wheat.  Einkorn is the most ancient wheat, offering many essential dietary and trace minerals. It’s a good source of protein, iron, dietary fiber, thiamine and a number of other B vitamins. It also contains a significant amount of the powerful antioxidant lutein with higher antioxidant levels than durum and bread wheat (hard red or white grain).

It can be substituted for whole wheat flour in most recipes, though it may result in a different texture and a nutty taste. It's best used in cookies, muffins, pancakes items that are leavened with baking soda or powder. You can make bread out of it but may not get the same rise as a high gluten flour like hard red or hard white wheat.

Health Benefits:
1. Reduces the Risk of Eye Disease
It was discovered that the carotenoid levels significantly increased during sprouting, of the grain. Lutein, zeaxanthin and β-carotene, found in einkorn, may be protective in eye disease because they can absorb damaging light that enters the eye.

2. Limits Allergy Symptoms
Several varieties, including einkorn, were noted as less allergenic for those that are sensitive to wheat.

3. Helps You Lose Weight
Einkorn has less fiber than wheat but is high in protein and unsaturated fatty acids. It also has many trace elements and antioxidant compounds. So there is less calories per cup of einkorn flour compared to wheat flour.

The first issue when changing your diet is will you be able to stick with the new program. I told my husband if we do this it has to be easy, or we will never stick with it.

What to consider:

• Where to get the whole grain  
• How to store the grain
• How to mill the grain
• How to bake with this new product

Grain Sources:
When I first started this process finding the grain at a reasonable price was an issue. You can buy it at the health food store, but the cost is high and you do not know how fresh it is. It's also available on line but the shipping really adds up.  I buy grain in 25 and 50 pound bags, that may seem like a lot but you would be amazed how fast you will use it. Also it lasts for years if stored properly.

The reason I started the Co-Op was to solve this issue. I have access to organic fresh grain in large quantities at low prices with no shipping charges. I do not charge anything to join, we use Country Life Natural Foods,
they are a great company and deliver to this area every other month. I do charge a flat 10% fee to cover taxes and expenses. A 50 pound bag of organic spring hard red wheat (bread flour) is $27.50 thru the Co-Op.

There are many different types of grains, each grain has a specific purpose. For example Hard Wheat is used for breads. Here is a link to show you all the grains I use ..... Types of Grain Available

Grain Storage:
You can keep your grain in 5 gallon buckets with a lid. I just keep mine in plastic tubs. The main issue is to keep the bugs out, so make sure you have a tight fitting lid. The grain will last for a very long time in it's natural state. Once you mill it then it starts to degrade. It does not need any special treatment, just a dry container preferably in a cool area, like a basement if you have one.

Once you have decided on the type of mill, locating one is another issue. Sometimes we have used mills for sale. Currently I have 2 for sale both are stone mills. If you are interested contact me to come over and take a look at them.

I have a stone mill that I modified to mill larger amounts. You probably would not need to mill the quantity of flour that I do. I keep my mill on a rolling file cabinet in my kitchen. The file cabinet allows me to roll it out of the way when I am not using it and has the drawers for storing my supplies. Now your kitchen may be larger and you could have a permanent location.

Now you are thinking is this really worth all this effort, I can tell you it is! We have kept our weight under control, my digestive issues are no longer a problem. I have many articles I have written on the health benefits of whole grain if you wish to check them out, click on this link. ....Health Benefits of Whole Grain

I Hope I have inspired you to take control of what you eat and change your life for the better. If you have any questions feel free to contact me.

Everyone needs to add more whole grain to their diets, but cooking whole grains requires time.  Quinoa is a great grain, cooks up quickly but does not have the flavor like some of the more interesting grains. Spelt, wheat berries and even hulled barley all are far more interesting but take forever to cook. When dinner needs to be on the table in 30 minutes it's not practical.

This is a tip that will cut your cooking time in half, put the kamut, rye, spelt, hulled barley, wheat berries and any other whole grain in a food processor or blender and pulse for about 20 seconds to 1 minute, until every grain is broken in half-ish. The idea is to have the grains be coarse, more like steel-cut oats not pulverized into dust. Breaking open the grains increase the surface area and makes the grains soften more quickly.

Combine one part grain with 4 parts water in a pot on medium to high heat. Bring this to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer and stir occasionally, until the grain is tender and the mixture is thick and porridge like, which will take about 25 to 30 minutes. You can thicken the cooked grains with any cheese or fat if you like.

Now that you have your base you can top this with anything. Think greens, or sausage and cheese, even an egg. You have a nutritious quick meal or side dish in no time.

Scientists and government guidelines recommend that all adults eat at least three servings (48g) of whole grain each day. The Whole Grain Council developed this stamp that will enable you to figure out if you are getting the recommended servings per day. You may have noticed this stamp on some products at the grocery store.  I do think it helps but don't assume that the product is 100% whole grain. You must look closely at the whole grain stamp, there are 2 basic types of stamps.

Basic Stamp or 100% Stamp?

• If a product bears the 100% Stamp, then all its grain ingredients are whole grains. There is a minimum requirement of 16g (16 grams) a full serving – of whole grain per labeled serving, for products using the 100% Stamp. There is a bit of a loop hole here "per labeled serving". The company decides what is the serving size of the product.
• If a product bears the Basic Stamp, it contains at least 8g (8 grams) – a half serving – of whole grain, but may also contain some refined grain. Even if a product contains large amounts of whole grain (23g, 37g, 41g, etc.), it will use the Basic Stamp if it also contains extra bran, germ, or refined flour.

Each Stamp also shows a number, telling you how many grams of whole grain ingredients are in a serving of the product. When you look on your grocery shelves you'll see a wide range of numbers, reflecting the whole grain content of a serving of that specific product.

How it Works
Let's say you have four breakfast cereals sitting on a shelf. They each have a serving size of 30 grams, but they're made up of different ingredients.

• Cereal A: whole oats (22 grams), walnuts (5 grams), raisins (3 grams)
• Cereal B: whole oats (15 grams), walnuts (7 grams), raisins (5 grams), coconut (3 grams)
• Cereal C: whole oats (27 grams), oat bran (3 grams)
• Cereal D: corn flour (12 grams), whole oats (9 grams), raisins (5 grams), sugar (4 grams)

The Stamp makes it easy to get your recommended three servings or more of whole grains each day:

• Eat three whole grain food products labeled "100% Whole Grain" OR
• Eat six products bearing ANY Whole Grain Stamp
  
  

Source:
http://wholegrainscouncil.org

Oats are very versatile, and can take on different personalities based on how they are processed and cooked. The Co-Op offers all these varieties from oat groats to oat bran .... Take a look



Know Your Oats

• Oat Groats The whole oats unprocessed are called oat groats. That is a bit confusing since the whole wheat kernels are know as wheat berries. They look basically the same as wheat berries.Whole groats aren’t as widely available as other forms of oats but it's what I buy to mill oat flour. If you are going to prepare them for a salad or use in a soup cook them like a wheat berry. .... Read How
• Old Fashioned Oats. These are the oat groats steamed and flattened, into thick flakes.
• Quick-Cooking Oats. These are rolled thinner, requiring  less than half the cooking time of old fashioned rolled oats.
  
• Instant Oats. The thinnest, smallest flakes. True to their name, they just need boiling water and they’re done.
• Steel-Cut or Irish or Pinhead oats. These groats aren’t steamed first; they're chopped into pieces with a steel burr mill so they have a lot of texture and bite when cooked. Though there are quick-cooking varieties, traditional steel-cut oats take up to 30 minutes on the stove.
  
• Scottish Oats. Not a common find here, these are whole groats milled into a coarse, sandy texture similar to cornmeal and cook up into a thin, creamy porridge. 
• Oat Bran. This is the fiber-rich layer of the oat kernel. In baking, oat bran adds heft and a nutty flavor. Cooked on its own, it’s Cream of Wheat–like. I use this to make Apple Oat Bran muffins, the oat bran gives the muffins a soft mouth feel and a good source of fiber.
• Oat Flour. Oats taken one step further in processing and ground all the way down into flour. Oat flour is very useful if you want to bake something with very little gluten. I use oat flour in my pie crust and short bread cookies. Not only do you get a lovely texture but a slightly nutty taste to the baked goods.

Storing oats
Keep all your oats in airtight containers in a dry, cool pantry so they don’t go rancid. The shelf live of oat groats is quite long about a year and half. Rolled oats also have a long shelf life if kept in a container away from heat and light.  But once the oats are processed like oat flour you need to freeze it or put it into the refrigerator so if does not go rancid.


Sources
Janet Rausa Fuller / 04.19.16
http://www.epicurious.com

Basmati rice is a variety of long, slender grain aromatic rice which is traditionally from India and Pakistan. As of 2014, India supplies 65 percent of the overseas basmati rice market, while Pakistan accounts for the rest.

Basmati rice is known as the "fragrant" rice because it contains a natural aromatic chemical compound giving it a distinctive spicy fragrance and flavor.
This natural aroma is also found in cheese, fruits and other cereals.

According to the Canadian Diabetes Association, basmati rice has a "medium" glycemic index (between 56 and 69) opposed to regular white rice with a glycemic index of 89. This makes basmati rice more suitable for diabetics as compared to certain other grains and products made from white flour.

How To Cook

1. 1 cup brown Basmati rice
2. Kosher salt

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan with a tight-fitting lid, combine rice, 2 cups water, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Stir once, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 50 minutes. (Do not lift the lid or stir!) Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork and serve.

Buckwheat is often called a grain, but it's actually a fruit seed that's related to rhubarb. Buckwheat is similar in size to wheat kernels but It has a unique triangular shape and is a complete protein, containing all 9 of the essential amino acids. In order to be edible, the outer hull must be removed. With it's outer shell removed and in it's whole grain form it's referred to as  buckwheat groats.

This tasty and fun "grain" can be steamed, toasted, roasted, ground into flour, or boiled. Use buckwheat groats in any recipe that calls for whole grains: pilafs, salads, casseroles, soups, granola's, stews, or as a cereal on its own. Buckwheat groats are also the key ingredient in traditional Eastern European cuisine.

Buckwheat is sold either unroasted or roasted. Unroasted buckwheat has a soft, subtle flavor while roasted has a more nutty taste.  Roasted buckwheat is oftentimes called "kasha. Buckwheat ranges in color from tannish-pink to brown.

Buckwheat does not contain gluten, it's often mixed with some type of gluten-containing flour (such as wheat) for baking. If you are sensitive to wheat, buckwheat is an alternate you can try.

If you are a vegetable gardener in this area you might use buckwheat as a cover crop on your garden during the winter months. It grows quickly and controls erosion. The nectar from the buckwheat flower makes a unique tasting dark-colored honey if you keep bees.

Buckwheat is available thru the Country Life Natural Foods Co-Op in many forms from 5 pounds to 25 pounds in size. Organic Brown Roasted  (Kasha), Hulled White Organic,  and Organic Buckwheat Unhulled for sprouting.

Health Benefits
Heart Healthy
Diets that contain buckwheat have been linked to lowered risk of developing high cholesterol and high blood pressure. Buckwheat's beneficial effects are due in part to its rich supply of flavonoids, particularly rutin. The flavonoids compounds help maintain blood flow, and keep platelets from clotting excessively.

Buckwheat is also a good source of magnesium which relaxes the blood vessels. This improves blood flow and nutrient delivery while lowering blood pressure. A great combination for a healthy cardiovascular system.

Better Blood Sugar Control
The nutrients in buckwheat may contribute to blood sugar control. In a test that compared the effect on blood sugar of whole buckwheat groats to bread made from refined wheat flour, buckwheat groats significantly lowered blood glucose and insulin responses. Whole buckwheat also scored highest on it's ability to satisfy hunger a plus if you are on a diet.

Prevent Gallstones
Foods high in insoluble fiber, such as buckwheat, can help women avoid gallstones, shows a study published in the American Journal of Gastroenterology.

Source
The Worlds Healthiest Foods whfoods.org
wikipedia.org

The first question to ask about all types of rice, is how much has it been processed?  Processing rice usually involves milling and polishing. Brown rice is the whole grain with just the first outer layer (husk or hull) removed through milling. The whole kernel is intact and is still surrounded by all the layers of bran, which contain the vital nutrients.

White rice is brown rice that has been milled to remove the bran and much of the germ, reducing fiber and nutrient content drastically. The grain is further polished to take away the remaining layer of germ (called the aleurone layer) which contains essential oils. 

The bran, germ, and aleurone layers of rice contain most of the fat content found in rice and are the source of fat-soluble vitamins like vitamin E as well as many other nutrients. If the high-fat components of the rice grain are left intact, the shelf life of the rice greatly declines. In this country it's all about the shelf life.

There is a processing technique called conversion that results in "converted rice." Converted rice is produced by steaming the whole grain before milling. This causes some of the B vitamins to migrate from the outside layers into the starchy center of the rice. This process leaves some B vitamins inside the converted rice even though the manufacturers remove the outside layers. The most nutritious rice is always, brown rice which is whole grain, minimally milled, and unpolished with its outer layers intact.

A nutritionally superior method of preparation
This involves soaking washed brown rice for 20 hours in warm water (34 °C or 93 °F) prior to cooking it. This process stimulates germination, which activates various enzymes in the rice. By this method, it is possible to obtain a more complete amino acid profile. This is something I have never done, but will do from now on.

Health Benefits
Calorie Content
Brown rice generally contains slightly fewer calories per serving than white rice. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states
1 cup of cooked brown rice = 218 calories
1 cup of cooked white rice = 242 calories
Reduce the calories in half ... method of cooking your rice...Read How

Carbs and Fiber
The USDA reports
1 cup of brown rice = 46 grams of carbohydrates, including 4 grams of fiber.
1 cup white rice = 53 grams of carbs, less than 1 gram of dietary fiber.
Brown rice will make you feel more satisfied which is important when loosing weight, and can help improve blood cholesterol levels.

Protein and Fat
Both brown and white rice are low-fat foods, and each provides about 4.5 grams of protein in each 1-cup portion. In other words, these two types of rice don't differ much in terms of protein and fat content.

Vitamins and Minerals
Brown rice has…

• Twice the manganese and phosphorus as white
• 2 ½ times the iron, 3 times the vitamin B3
• 4 times the vitamin B1
• 10 times the vitamin B6

Brown Rice is Rich in Selenium. This trace mineral known to drastically reduce our chances of developing certain forms of cancer, as well as heart disease, inflammatory conditions and rheumatoid arthritis

Glycemic Index
Brown rice has a lower glycemic index (GI) than white rice. According to Harvard Health Publications, the average glycemic index of brown rice is 50, and the average white rice GI is 89. Foods with higher glycemic indexes tend to make your blood sugar rise quickly, but then drop. Lower GI foods don't cause a rapid blood sugar spike, but help you to feel full for longer periods of time.

Shelf Life
Brown rice has a shelf life of approximately 6 to 8 months, so buy smaller quantities of it.  If you refrigerate it or freeze it the shelf life is significantly extended. White rice has a shelf life of 10 years, it's dead already.

Sources:
Brown Rice Vs. White Rice, by Andrea Manitsas Mojo Foods, Aug.30 2011
http://www.organicauthority.com..Brown Rice Vs White Rice
The Worlds Healthiest Foods,  www.whfoods.org
Fit Day ..The Difference between Brown Rice and White Rice