Date: November 06, 1997 01:41 AM
Author: Lynn (hope1@breeze.net)
Subject: Wheat info from Magic Mill Company

Magic Mill is an old manufacturer of heavy duty wheat mills, and other products. Mine is ancietn, got is used and it has always run like a tank. So Here is what I found on their web page........

QUALITY OF WHEAT - WHAT TO LOOK FOR WHEN BUYING

Know the source of your wheat: Purchase your wheat through a reputable dealer. The wheat should have been thoroughly cleaned and bagged.

Check the protein content: The protein content of the wheat should be 14% or above. The bran and wheat germ contained in the wheat have a tendency to make the bread heavy and unresponsive to the yeast. A high protein wheat is necessary to counteract this situation so the bread will rise properly.

Check the moisture content: The moisture content should be 9% or below to avoid build up in your mill. Wheat with a high moisture content (10%-11%) may be dried on a baking sheet in the oven at 150¦ for 1 1/2 hours. Leave the oven door open!

Make sure the protein and moisture content are certified in some way.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF WHEAT

Five types of wheat are grown in the United States:

Hard Winter Wheat is planted in the fall. It is usually dry-land wheat, grown without being watered, except by snow or rain. The extreme northern states are too cold for this type of wheat, but it grows well across Southern Idaho, Oklahoma and Kansas. Dry winters and springs make the protein content high, the moisture low. Hard winter wheaat is a high volume producer.

Hard Spring Wheat is planted in the spring. Like hard winter wheat, it is not irrigated, thus yeilding a high protein and low moisture content. This type of grain is quite expensive. It is usually mixed with hard winter wheat, a combination which makes an excellent loaf of bread.

Soft Spring Wheat has been irrigated. It usually has a larger yield than hard wheat but is lower in protein. It is principally used for stock feed. Soft spring wheat is also used in makin cakes, cookies, pastries, or other baked goods that use baking powder, baking soda, or shorteneing as leavening.

White Wheat is used to make crackers. It is also the best wheat to use when making rejuvelac, a fermented wheat water drink. Though other types of wheat may be used for this drink, white whea give it a more delicate flavor.

Durum Wheat is used for making all kinds of pasta. Popular demand has caused the milling industry to produce up to 250 different grades of wheat flour.

Many other types of whole wheat by-products are also available.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5215)

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Date: November 08, 1997 01:32 PM
Author: Mike Hutchinson (Hutch357@ix.netcom.com)
Subject: But how?


Thanks for all the info, but how in the world is someone supposed to actually check the moisture or the protein content of the grain? Most of the locally available wheat and corn is sold by feed stores. The folks at the store are dumbfounded by the notion that someone might be trying to by this stuff for their own consumption. Also, I'm assured that the wheat these people are selling for feed is indeed "hard, red winter". Is this likely to be so?

"Paranoia is simply a heightened state of awareness"

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5324)

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Date: November 11, 1997 10:39 AM
Author: Al Durtschi (rcox@mail.lcc.whecn.edu)
Subject: Wheat


There are several kinds of wheat and it's hard to say what kind the feed store is selling, even by looking at it. There's...

Hard Red Winter (Bread)
Hard Red Spring (Bread)
Hard White Winter (Bread)
Hard White Spring (Bread)
Soft (Cake Flour)
Duram (Pastries/Pasta)

At the elevators where the farmers take their wheat there is a little machine they run some wheat through that gives them an instant readout of the protein content and the moisture content. Yes, I expect a feed store wouldn't ordinarily carry one of these.

Al

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5483)

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Date: November 11, 1997 10:38 PM
Author: Lynn (hope1@breeze.net)
Subject: wheat


I would never buy wheat from a feed store, to begin with. Wheat is to important a product in our diet (bread baking). I have only once bought wheat from a local group, it was lousy stuff. Saving it for wheat cereal, etc. when I buy wheat I buy it from places like WAltons. These places guarantedd their protein content and the moisture content. This is what you look for for storage wheat. If your seller can't tell you protein/moisture of their product, go somewhere else. It's too important to do it anyother way.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5520)

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Date: November 12, 1997 07:48 AM
Author: Will_richards (will_richards@hotmail.com)
Subject: Local Farmers


I buy my wheat local. Not from a feed store. I am not sure of the safety at ours. Who knows what is in it. I buy it on farm. I actually convinced one fellow to plant it. He plants it as a nurse crop in his clover hay and it produces well. This year it was the finest wheat I have ever seen in the field, and this is not wheat country.

I also have a source in southern Kansas, a few hours drive each way. He grows Organic and charges for his savings in chemicals. This is the first year I will buy direct from him, but I have had some of last years crop. I like Waltons, but for things like wheat the shipping is to high, I look local. Beans and rice are other items I try to buy local. I bought a bag of rice a few years ago and it was from Thailand or Japan, I don't remember which. I could not believe it as Arkansas is the biggest producer of rice in the world. Now I by it direct from Riceland.

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5532)

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Date: November 12, 1997 09:25 AM
Author: Joe Stout (joewstout@iswt.com)
Subject: Soft Winter Wheat


Al, In our area soybeans are our major crop. Corn is next and Wheat is third. Most of our farmers rotate in this way. One year they will plant corn and harvest in the fall. Immediately after the corn harvest they will sow winter wheat. The next spring the wheat will be harvested. This is too late to plant corn but not soybeans. So after the wheat havest they plant soybeans. The fall harvest is too late on soybeans to sow wheat. The next year the cycle starts all over. This way wheat is grown every other year.

I have just learned that all of the wheat grown in our area is the soft winter wheat. It is of many varieties. My question are there any varieties of soft winter wheat that would make flour for general baking purposes? If not is there a variety of hard wheat that I could have the farmer that farms my land sow. The area is in Tennessee near the Kentucky border. Thanks, Joe Stout

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5537)

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Date: November 12, 1997 03:35 PM
Author: Al Durtschi (rcox@mail.lcc.whecn.edu)
Subject: Growing wheat.


Joe,

The soft wheats were intentionally developed to have a lower protein content to meet the purposes for which they were designed. All purpose flour is a mixture of flours from hard and soft wheats.

Most of the hard wheats are grown in dryer, higher climates. Probably the very best hard wheat is grown in Montana, very dry country at a higher elevation. The soft wheats do much better in the hotter, humid part of the country. Why don't you check with your county extension agent to see if he knows of any hard wheats that will grow well in your area.

Al

(http://garynorth.entrewave.com/forums/Index.cfm?CFApp=16&Message_ID=5556)