The Old, the New and a Sundry of Whole Grains

The last Wednesday of National Nutrition Month (March) is the day set aside to sample whole grains. My goal was to entice all to find one new whole grain to include in a meal at home. The light lunch at Life Long Learners featured soup, salad and fruit bread made with three whole grains. The posters and displays covered some 20 different whole grains and examples of how I included them in meals at home.

The highlight of the event was the local farmer. The group is eager to arrange a tour of the farm.

All attendees listened attentively to a short talk, then actively participated in sampling and discussion.

Excerpts of discussion and posters are below.

 In recipes, substitute any grain in stir fry, bowls, soups, sides and cereals. 

In baked goods, gluten free grains work best in batter breads, sponge cakes, muffins, cookies and pancakes. 

Some grains are grown locally. The foundation of any sustainable food system is locally grown grains.  Davis Brothers Inc. and The Vegetable Garden farm in Preston County has grown oats, rye, sorghum, barley and currently sell buckwheat, corn and whole wheat flours and several varieties of popcorn at the Morgantown and Bridgeport Farmers Market.

My posters list where in the United States each grain is grown. Some grains bought off the shelf or online are packed in the United States but grown in other countries.

Some grains are designated as "C4" grains (there are C3 and C4 plants). C4 grains are more water efficient and using nitrogen and survive in hot dry climates. 

The Greek Sorghum Salad served today is a C4 grain.

 Eating more plant based meals is more water efficient and produces less greenhouse gasses. The water needed to produce 1 calorie of grain is half the amount needed for vegetables, 1/3 the amount needed for fruit and 1/10th the amount needed for beef. Amaranth, Buckwheat and Quinoa are complete proteins.

I've been costing grain prices for some seven years. The price of quinoa went down. Previously it was one of the highest priced whole grains, second only to wild rice. Interesting in comparing the cost of all the whole grains that the price per serving ranges from a low of 20 cents per serving to a high of 66 cents per serving. This is reasonable compared to other foods in the United States grocery cart. Price per ounce of all grains was listed on the posters.

 

What's new? Researchers are working to create perennial grains like Kernza that sends down long, hardy roots to sequester carbon and prevent soil erosion. Tillage is expensive and releases carbon (greenhouse gasses) into the air. 85% of the world's plants are annuals. Kernza is not genetically modified. There is no GMO wheat.

Today's soup featured Kernza vegetable soup.

What's old? Einkorn wheat is the only wheat that has never been hybridized-a true "ancient" grain. It has a low potential to form gluten and is easier to digest. Einkorn has just 14 chromosomes. Farro has 28. Common wheat has 42. Today's bread is Einkorn Banana Bread.

 Whether we know it or not, the cereal we eat for breakfast, the bread we eat for lunch and the snack we eat later may all be made with the same seed. That's not good for many reasons, especially the health of our gut microbiome. Those with a diverse microbiome have a lower resistance to antibiotics. Diversifying grains is good for the environment. Diversify grains to stay atop market fluctuations.