" For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone; the flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land. " Song of Solomon

May 31, 2008

Wheat Berries

A few days ago I cooked some wheat berries and have enjoyed them several times in the interim. I purchased mine in a health food store. An 8 ounce measure was $.89 plus tax. I cooked one half cup dry and have most of the package left.

The cooking method is similar to dried beans. It is best to soak the berries overnight. Whatever amount you decide to prepare, just cover them with water times 3- ish...the longer they soak the shorter the cooking time. I washed mine in a colander prior to soaking.

Next day I drained the water in case it had any dirt, re-rinsed the berries and then covered them with water in a saucepan and brought them to a boil, turning them down to a steady slow boil, adding water as necessary to keep them from boiling dry. It took about 45 minutes for them to reach the done stage.

Lastly I drained them thoroughly and stored them covered in the fridge. For longer storage they can be frozen.

I've added them to my morning oatmeal for more chew, to my yogurt for the same reason, but my favorite use is in a salad: combination of baby spinach leaves, diced tomato, diced red onion, cucumber or jicama, and wheat berries, all dressed with Annie's Goddess dressing, which is a tahini based salad dressing. Note: I found if you make your personal salad in a Tupperware type container, you can add a tablespoon of dressing then shake it like crazy--the dressing will disperse "abroad" and a little goes a lot further...more taste too than dipping your fork.

Here's another link for a recipe that sounds good: Wheat Berry Salad. I plan to try it soon. Note that the web page has several recipes for legume dishes. I'm also planning to make the corn pea salad today---we'll eat it with blue corn chips which will replace the bread and butter to our accompanying salmon salad supper.
"....there have been many times when I have shed bitter tears, when if I had understood the situation better, I would have celebrated my good luck instead."

DISCLAIMER

I am not a doctor and all information, suggestions, etc are my personal opinion only.