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Show jJ By CAROL LEMON Lots of folks are storing wheat, or have had it stored for several years. However, not many make using the stored products a daily habit. hab-it. Much of it has had to be discarded because it was not stored properly, or used on a rotation basis. Weevil, mice, moisture and all are threats to staples not protected pro-tected correctly. There are lots of different methods of preparing items for storage. One I hadn't heard of until lately is called the DRY HEAT METHOD. Staples such as rice, macaroni, spaghetti, spa-ghetti, cornmeal, cracked wheat, raisins, nuts, etc., can all be stored safely this way. Wash and dry bottles. Place empty jars on cooky sheet in oven at 110 degrees for 12 hours. This removes all the moisture from the bottles. Remove from oven and fill with food. Put on new lids and screw on bands. Return Re-turn to oven on cookie sheet at 225 degrees for 1 hour for quarts, 2 hours for 2-quart 2-quart jars. Don't get bottles too close to upper element of oven. The jars should seal upon cooling, just as in regular canning processes and the food should stay in good condition for years. The jars are small enough that you can open one and use it up before it spoils. Now that you ha 'e spent all that money and time storing such things, why not get used to using them on a daily basis. Handmills that make fine flour, cracked wheat, cornmeal, etc., are not too expensive, and of course, if your pocketbook allows, you can purchase an electric mill or find a neighbor who has one and spend a pleasant hour or two while her mill whizzes up the flour for next week's baking. Recipes abound for wheat breads. Some prefer adding part white flour for a lighter product. Here's a recipe using us-ing both whole wheat flour and oatmeal. OATMEAL BREAD Mix 2 pkgs. yeast and 12 C warm water. Mix 1-12 C scaldedmilk, 13 C oil, 2 t. salt, 12 C molasses (may use part honey if you prefer). Stir into milk, 1 C unsifted unsift-ed flour (enough to make a soft dough). Knead. Put in greased bowl, grease top, cover and let double. Punch down. Let rest 10 minutes. Make 2 loaves. Cover and let double. Bake 375 about 40 minutes. Remove from pan immediately. Apple Crisp is another recipe you might enjoy. APPLE CRISP Place in a shallow 9x9 baking dish: 4 C cored, sliced cooking apples (or 1 can of thick applesause). Sprinkle with 1 T lemon juice. Stir together 13 C sifted whole wheat flour, 1 t. cinnamon, cin-namon, 12 t. salt. Stir into flour mix: 1 C quick oatmeal and 12 C brown sugar. Add 13 C melted butter and mix till crumbly. Sprinkle crumb mixture over apples. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes or until apples are tender. (Can use a 2-12 can drained drain-ed peaches instead of apples or omit lemon juice and use one can of cranberry sauce instead of apple). Who doesn't like onion rings in this day and age? ONION RINGS Cut about 4 medium onions into 1 4 inch slices . Separate into rings. Arrange 4 containers con-tainers as follows: 1. 2 C milk; 2. 2 C whole wheat flour; 3. 2 eggs beaten with 2 T milk; and 4. 4 T whole wheat bread crumbs. Dip onion on-ion rings into containers in order. Shake off excess lightly. light-ly. Deep fry at 375 until crisp. Drain on paper towels. Sprinkle with salt. Wheat can be used in many ways. Sprouted, it can be used in salads, oriental dishes, dish-es, scrambled eggs, or whatever. what-ever. You can even use it in Chili. MEXICAN WHEAT CHILI Brown 1 pound ground beef in 2 T oil. Saute 1 chopped onion, 14 t. garlic salt. Drain off excess grease. Add and stir 4 to 6 T flour, 2 C cooked wheat, 5 C bouillon or stock, 1 t. to 1 T chili powder, 1 t. salt, 12 t Or-egano, Or-egano, a pinch of Cayenne if desired, and 1 C tomato sauce. Cover and simmer 1 ' hour. Dig in.. One we like is called Farmers Chowder. FARMERS CHOWDER ' Cook until tender,' 2 C diced carrots in 12 C water. wa-ter. Fry crisp 6 slices bacon cut into cubes, or 12 C ham cubes. Drain off all but 3 T grease. Brown 5 T chopped onions. Add 4 T flour and cook all 3 minutes. Add and heat (but don't boil), 2-12 C milk, 2 C cooked whole wheat or cracked, 1 t. salt, pepper, 1 T chopped parsley. . ,s And, of course, there's the centuries -old treat, Parched Corn or Wheat. One recipe for those with great molars and one a little less rocky for the rest of us. No. 1: Put a layer of dry wheat and 3 T oil in your corn popper or pan and shake on top of stove until some kernels pop and are golden brown. Add salt. No. 2: Spread a layer of steamed, cooked wheat on a cookie sheet. Add salt and place under broiler for about 10 minutes (leave oven rack about mid-oven level) or until you hear tiny popping sounds. Lower oven heat to 250 and bake 30 minutes longer until brown and crunchy. Lots of books are on the market and will tell you everything you always wanted to know from sprouting and steaming to drying and storing, stor-ing, and how to enjoy it. They also tell us how to get extra nourishment and vitamins vita-mins and that fiber for roughage rough-age most of us lack these days. Back to basics can be fun. Give it a try. |