Long Term Storage Wheat: Wheat Berries, Grain Mills, and Flour

The point at which you start to think about long term storage wheat is the point that you know that you're preparing for months and years of survival living rather than bugging out for a couple of weeks. Having a large supply of wheat means that you'll be able to start baking much sooner. This will then give you many more options in terms of the food you can produce and the length of time it will store.

Long Term Storage Wheat Berries vs Flour

One of the biggest debates you'll have when it comes to food preparation is to whether to get in large supplies of long term storage wheat flour or wheat berries. Each will give you the necessary properties to make bread, baked goods and pasta and each has its own pros and cons.

The main advantage of wheat berries is that they keep for much longer than the flour. They are also much less susceptible to disease and invasion by small creatures as it's much harder for them to break down. The biggest drawback is that you'll have to grind it yourself and if you haven't got a source of electricity, grinding flour by hand can be time consuming and exhausting.

People choose to store large amounts of flour as it gives you a bigger choice in terms of the colors and the types that you can take with you. If you take wheat, all you get is one type of flour from the one type of wheat. With flour, you can get white, brown, and malted varieties as well as getting all sorts of ready made mixes. The downside is that it costs more and is more likely to go off if you don't use it once the tub is open.

A combination of the two is usually seen as being a good option, along with some wheat seeds and a dedicated place to grow your own for long term food provision.

Tools and Accessories

If you've decided to go for long term storage wheat as your main source of carbohydrate, you'll need some of the following tools and accessories to help you make the most of your supply:

• Grinder - the most important tool that you'll need is a grinder. You'll be swamped by different options ranging from hand crank powered models that will grind half a cup a minute to electric powered mills that will give you different coarseness of grain and will do around five cups a minute. Your choice will be dictated by your budget and the more you pay, the more wheat you'll be able to grind.
  
• Dough enhancer - the same companies that sell the long term wheat will also provide you with a dough enhancer that will fortify any dough that you make with additional vitamins and minerals to keep you all healthy. It comes as a powder so you'll need to make sure that you have the appropriate methods to store it for the long term.
  
• Dried yeast - finally, unless you have a particular desire to eat flatbreads,  you'll need a good supply of dried yeast. Out of all the food supplies, yeast will be the hardest to replace once it's gone, so make sure you get as much as you can to fit into your food supplies pack.
  

Don't be afraid to do some research before buying any particular brand of long term storage wheat. Each company will use a different breed of wheat, each of which will store for different lengths of time. You'll also find wheat that is designed for different cooking purposes so make sure you get the type that matches your survival baking plans.

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