Bread Research

[nao57]

I can grow it and have several times in cover crops...but never have harvested the grains or milled them.

Seems like a lot of work and requires equipment I don't have. If I can successfully grow a quality tobacco at home, seems like I should be able to grow and mill some grains.

Would you or anyone care to elaborate on the process of milling your own home-grown grain? .... without a grist mill.

In the past I saw one idea people had that they said they could buy grain that was grown in areas that weren't industrialized. That would mean it should be void of chemicals.

But... turbulence in markets a few years ago caused some countries to have exporting quotas on foods like rice and some grains.

Travelers to Mexico often quote that they can east stuff there that they can't in the US. And the only explanation that fits for that is that some foods down there might have been made without industralization (chemicals). But now industrialization is starting to come into Mexico. So it will be interesting to see what happens.

Another idea is you can just get a hand crank grinder. And then grind some of the grain when you are going to use it. But I also did some research to find that the nutrients in flour will be more stable and better nutrition if you wait and mill as you use it instead of storing it for long periods of time.

 

[nao57]

Seriously considering making a run at home made chemical free natural flour (s).

Grains need to be selected and planted next month. A lot of research to do before that...

If I had more land I'd grow everything I could. I'm limited by how much land I have. If you have more land, I wish you the best of luck. If you can do something with automated watering timers you'll be able to make it less burdensome.

But seriously all of these things suggest we're very close to famine and that they are trying to hide it.

I'd try to grow everything I could foodwise.

One of my other research projects I had found out that... the average age for farmers in North America was 56 years old. And that in most industrialized countries like, US, Canada, western and northern Europe, the percentage of people that know how to grow their own food is 2.5%. That is so abysmally low that its even dangerous. And then the farm failures are often caused by developer acquisitions under the table. And of those 2.5% I figure there's many employees that don't learn the full process themselves because they work for others and those people don't like their employees taking off on their own to steal their business from them.

Places like Poland the % of people that can grow their own food is about 10 to 12%. Less developed countries the % is a bit higher usually.

Its quite fascinating really when you start realizing this stuff.

And then you realize... people that can garden and have gardening skills are fascinating people and actually have a huge life advantage.

 

[nao57]

Seriously considering making a run at home made chemical free natural flour (s).

Grains need to be selected and planted next month. A lot of research to do before that...

I'll try to post on some of that later. There's some interesting things like einkorn and spelt and lesser known varieties that people don't get sick from like the more modern stuff. But if you find some things on your own I'd be happy to hear about it too.

 

[Sluggy]

I am shocked at the amount of chemicals in American food. You can buy organic bread and food in the U.K.

 

[nao57]

Buy Canadian flour and make your own bread. Canadian wheat has a high protein content which is useless for brewing beer.

Protein will be very important in the future, due to problems with being able to get healthy untampered with meat, and other issues. So if there are higher protein sources that's quite interesting.

When I farmed ducks, if the protein level dropped too much w the ducks and chickens they'd stop laying eggs. And I started to see from that how humans also need a certain protein level. But a lot of foods like corn and other things people eat aren't at high enough levels by themselves to reach the target % level your human body needs.

So what you said is interesting. if they do have a higher protein wheat that's interesting.

 

[Meadowlark]

...And then you realize... people that can garden and have gardening skills are fascinating people and actually have a huge life advantage.

Agree!

That 2.5% number is incredibly low. Actually, it is frightening for the Human outlook. I garden for taste/nutrition primarily and not "prepper" but that number does indeed portend disaster in the future.

 

[Meadowlark]

I'll try to post on some of that later. There's some interesting things like einkorn and spelt and lesser known varieties that people don't get sick from like the more modern stuff. But if you find some things on your own I'd be happy to hear about it too.

I've done several hours of research now on growing small grains in East Texas. The overall variety winner is hard red winter wheat with a soft red winter wheat a highly rated alternative:

• GoWheat 9216H — Top 5 yields in East Texas every year since release; excellent rust resistance.
• LCS Brazos — Highest-yielding hard red winter wheat in multiple East Texas trials; strong leaf rust resistance.
• AGS 3022 — Soft red winter wheat option for pastry flour.

I'm looking at using about 300 sq. ft of garden space for two rows of those varieties with the expectation I can mill out about 10 pounds of flour for two varieties, 20 pounds total, for comparison.

I realized I have a tobacco grinder which I purchased during my experiment this spring on growing tobacco. I believe it will be just fine to mill out small amounts of flour.

Next step is to find the seed and I'm pretty confident that will be easy to do.

The intent is this trial will show the best overall variety for this location and iron out any process difficulties before proceeding to full production.

 

[nao57]

I've done several hours of research now on growing small grains in East Texas. The overall variety winner is hard red winter wheat with a soft red winter wheat a highly rated alternative:

• GoWheat 9216H — Top 5 yields in East Texas every year since release; excellent rust resistance.
• LCS Brazos — Highest-yielding hard red winter wheat in multiple East Texas trials; strong leaf rust resistance.
• AGS 3022 — Soft red winter wheat option for pastry flour.

I'm looking at using about 300 sq. ft of garden space for two rows of those varieties with the expectation I can mill out about 10 pounds of flour for two varieties, 20 pounds total, for comparison.

I realized I have a tobacco grinder which I purchased during my experiment this spring on growing tobacco. I believe it will be just fine to mill out small amounts of flour.

Next step is to find the seed and I'm pretty confident that will be easy to do.

The intent is this trial will show the best overall variety for this location and iron out any process difficulties before proceeding to full production.

I like it. Plus there's the idea if you grow it before there's trouble then later when other people are stressed out, you won't be as much because you'll already know what to do then.

 

[Meadowlark]

I like it.

Good! I'll start a new thread soon posting my progress toward actually making chemical free bread. I thank you for your research on this @nao57

 

[nao57]

Good! I'll start a new thread soon posting my progress toward actually making chemical free bread. I thank you for your research on this @nao57

Glad I could help you. I really hope that awareness about this will both stimulate gardening interest and for people to feel better. I wouldn't be surprised if there's also some chemical footprint in Europe's food though its probably less than for the US.

 

[Sluggy]

Maybe it is the distances in America that food has to travel that chemicals are required to keep it fresh. In the U.K. fresh sliced bread only last about 3 days unless you keep it in the fridge and baguettes only last 2 days at the most. A number of supermarkets have their own bakeries in store so you can literally buy different types of bread straight from the oven eg our local Waitrose.

 

[Meadowlark]

Maybe it is the distances in America that food has to travel that chemicals are required to keep it fresh.

Sawdust? Half the total ingredients? No, that is about making profit not about preservation, IMO.

 

[big rockpile]

So are you going to start growing small grains and staple crops now?

Processed food is a category of its own but i think something i didn't realize was just how processed flour is. White flour is so devoid of anything but calories and when you mill your own grain you get the bran and germ and a coarser grind that leaves you feeling healthier. White flour is suited for desserts not bread. It ain't got no flavor

Use Unbleached Flour.

I’m retired Baker and most your fats come from Sugars.

big rockpile

 

[big rockpile]

Seen a guy try feeding Bread to Hogs and they started having problems.

I fed Bread to Chickens and they were not fit to eat.

big rockpile

 

[Esther Knapicius]

Glad you are putting out information about Bread. Myself have been reading and alerting myself about it for years. So glad I can obtain local grown flour that is not processed and not genetically manipulated from Amish farmers and then I make my own. I also have a place to buy bread from that is also organic. In general it is depressing shopping for food items, fruits /vegetables, so many are over sprayed with junk we should not eat. I am always seeking out the "less" sprayed, soaking in baking soda, or going to the Amish markets.