For the past few years I have taught cooking classes in my home to share the basics of Provident Living with those who attend.
These classes are designed to teach the new homemaker (or anyone) how to cook with whole foods. In the class I cook a pot of cracked wheat, a batch of muffins, and a loaf of whole wheat bread. I share the economics of cooking with whole foods, and also give a brief lecture on 72 hour kits, safe water storage, and how to rotate stored foods into your day to day cooking.
I have done numerous posts on this topic for my Blog, but for those of you who are new, here is a primer on how to cook cracked wheat cereal. This is covered in detail during the class. My next class will be on April 8th from 8:30 to 10:00 AM. If you are in the Denver/Boulder area and would like to attend, just email me for directions.
I will also be taking anyone interested on a Family Canning Session down at the Aurora Cannery. If you are interested in learning more about how to store whole foods for long term storage, just click on this blog entry. The canning session will be on April 15th from 8AM to Noon. Just email me for more information.

Cracked wheat Cereal with Butter and Agave Sweetner. A great way to start the day!

One cup of Organic Red Wheat

(Click on the photo to get to the web site where I purchased this mill)
I crack up one cup of Organic Red Wheat to feed my family of seven breakfast. This wheat costs about five cents. If you add in the cost of butter, spices, sweetner, milk or anything else you like to eat with the wheat, breakfast for my family costs about a dollar a day. Compared to any wheat based box of cold cereal, the economical savings of this breakfast are obvious. Most cereal costs about three dollars a box. Add in milk, sweetner, fruit, etc…and the costs go up significantly per serving. I also can’t “reuse” wasted cold cereal. Any cracked wheat left in the pot can be put in muffins, bread, or biscuits, and the waste is minimal.

You can make cracked wheat Cereal with just salt, but I like to use a variety of spices to make the wheat taste great! All of these spices help with digestion, which can be an issue if you are just starting whole food adventures. Into one quart of water I put a mix of Flax seed, Whole Clove, Cardamon pods, a chunk of ginger, a cinnamon stick, and grated nutmeg.

After the spices have hard boiled for twenty minutes, you can add in the cracked wheat, stirring constantly as you gradually add it in. The wheat then needs to hard boil for five minutes. I usually turn the heat down to medium and let it go, stirring every once in a while. This boiling step helps to soften the outer hull of the grain, and it quickens the cooking time. I then turn the heat down to a low simmer and let it cook for another half hour or so. Then I put it in bowls and let it sit and cool for five minutes or so. It keeps cooking in the dish while it cools down to “just right”.
More on Wheat Cookery
Provident Living Q & A
Jenny Hatch
Nobody is talking about it yet, but I feel passionate about parents being prepared for Emergency Childbirth during a Bird Flu Pandemic. Here is a previous Blog Entry on that topic.