frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Jan 18, 2020 10:27:04 GMT 10
I've just ordered a Schnitzer Country grain mill from Skippy in Bathurst.
Now I'm looking for somewhere to buy whole grain wheat, in quantities up to 50kg. Honest to Goodness in Alexandria, Sydney, seem to be the best value I've found so far, selling organic wheat at $37 per 12.5kg. Postage is very reasonable. The large farm outlets seem to sell per mt (approx $350 but don't know if thst is for human or animal consumption), which is too much for me to store.
So my question is: who buys wheat, from where, for what price, and how do you store it?
I've got plastic barrels with air tight lids, but do I need to seal them in bags first?
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bushdoc2
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Post by bushdoc2 on Jan 18, 2020 15:13:03 GMT 10
Wheat contains oil. If storing LONG term, I suggest O2-proof, eg. mylar.
Handful of dry ice in the bucket before sealing the lid (let the gas pressure escape first).
Rotate stock.
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Jan 19, 2020 6:49:10 GMT 10
I think I might use my vacuum sealer, divide the grain into smaller bags.
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tomatoes
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Post by tomatoes on Jan 19, 2020 9:03:00 GMT 10
I buy wheat from honest to goodness. I use it within a year so just chuck it into buckets in the original bag. I have the same mill from the same company (actually an older model).
If storing wheat for longer, Mylar bags first.
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feralemma
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Post by feralemma on Jan 19, 2020 10:21:01 GMT 10
You can buy wheat off-farm, or from stockfeeders or seed works by the tonne in a truck, in bulka bags or in smaller feed bags. In WA we have a publication called the Farm Weekly that a lot of farmers advertise produce in, I'm sure there is something similar over east. It's heaps cheaper to buy it this way than from someone that sells it by the kg in fancy packaging, and is the same product.
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bushdoc2
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Post by bushdoc2 on Jan 19, 2020 11:11:01 GMT 10
Agricultural suppliers.
Where you buy hay etc. 20Kg bags. Ditto for sorghum, corn, sunflower seeds, millet, barley. If it goes off, feed it to the chooks. Or use as bait for wild birds (where legal and sporting to do so). |
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spatial
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Post by spatial on Jan 19, 2020 12:37:02 GMT 10
I think the crowd that I used to buy from have gone under. One can look around for wholesale suppliers to bakeries and brewers.
I store wheat the same way you store rice, in freezer for a week then in food grade container (10l bucket) with oxygen absorbers.
I also store flower and self raising flower that I purchase from Bibina .
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Post by frontsight on Jan 19, 2020 15:30:20 GMT 10
Buying wheat for eating or potentially growing too? Very different approaches. Wheat for eating, frozen before airtight storage but you better off buying flour, much less chance of getting rancid and way easier to store.
Farm wheat is ok as long as the moisture is low (not always) but what do you want it for, very different between pastry, pasta, bread and feed. That's another reason to buy flour for the right purpose, they get tested several times a day. I doubt if the farmer will tell you the falling number and protein contents for small purchases. And they are more prone to infestation. All grains have potential for infestation but once milled (the outter layer is gone after conditioning and first break roll and then mills have infestation destroyers). So yeah freeze and dry them (no high heat or you have no working aloha amylases so can't use for proper baking and brewing)
If keeping wheat for seeds best buy seed that suits your purposes, Aussie Wheat seeds don't get stuffed after a generation or two but makesure you get the right seeds for your region. Modern day wheat is not as forgiving when you change regions, they are optimised to certain growing conditions. Seed company will list what variety is good where and for what.
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frostbite
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Post by frostbite on Jan 19, 2020 15:42:00 GMT 10
I'm after wheat to turn into flour for making bread, hence the reason for buying the grain mill. Commercial flour, I'm told, is devoid of most of the nutrients to give it a shelf life. I want grain to turn into flour as I need it for two reasons: it is healthier and it stores longer than flour (I'm told up to 30 years in grain form if stored correctly).
I think I will just buy in 50kg loads from Honest to Goodness, because it should be a safer proposition than buying direct from the farmer, which isn't viable where I live. Will vac seal and store in plastic, airtight drums under the house.
Eventually, when I move onto my 3 acre place down the coast, I hope to experiment with a small grain crop.
Thanks for the replies.
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