Wheat berries can be used for baking or planting wheatgrass. When choosing berries, consider their flavor and quality, and ensure they are healthy and free from mold. White and red wheat berries have different flavors and make heavy, dense baked goods. Berries should be stored properly and used soon after purchase. Fresh berries are best for planting, and should be soaked in water before planting and given lots of warm, indirect sunlight to grow.
Wheat berries are actually whole wheat seeds that can be ground into fine, nutritious bread flour or planted to produce wheat grass. When choosing wheat berries, it’s important to know how they will be used. Those using these seeds for cooking need to consider the flavor and quality of the berries. The berries chosen for growing wheatgrass must be fresh and fleshy. Both berry varieties should be healthy and free from mold.
The choice of wheat seeds for making flour largely depends on the flavor of the berries. White wheat berries have a light, subtle flavor, while red wheat berries have a richer, deeper flavor. Both varieties usually make heavy, dense baked goods, though those made with white berries will be a lighter color. Wheat berries chosen for baking can be fresh, dried, or sprouted, depending on the baker’s preference. Fresh and dried berries will make baked goods a lot already cooked, while recipes made with sprouted berries will taste fresh with a slight freshness from the sprouts.
Although wheatberries are available online, many bakers like to pick their bakery berries in person. Berries should be rich in color, with no black, green, or gray discoloration. Fresh berries should be plump and firm, while dried berries will feel tough and have a slightly darker color. The dried and fresh varieties should both smell like freshly baked bread.
Once chosen, cooking berries need to be stored properly to ensure they retain their flavor. The baker should typically wait to grind these berries until ready to bake with them. Dried berries usually stay longer than fresh or sprouted berries, which means the baker should plan to use the latter two types of seeds soon after purchase. Those planning to store their berries should choose the dried variety and store them in an airtight container in a cool, dry place.
Those who choose wheat berries for planting sometimes have a slightly more difficult task ahead of them. Fresh berries are often better for planting, meaning the gardener should typically purchase them in late fall when the wheatgrass is setting its seeds. Berries for planting should also follow the guidelines above, meaning they should be plump, firm, and free from mold or disease. Gardeners berries should typically come from healthy plants, which can be difficult to determine unless the gardener knows the seller personally.
Many types of fresh wheat berries will sprout in storage, so it’s often best to plant them immediately. The berries should be soaked in fresh, distilled water overnight, drained, and sprinkled onto a seed tray filled with soil. The berries can be covered with about 1 inch (about 2 cm) of soil and covered with plastic wrap until they sprout. Wheatgrass sprouting requires lots of warm, indirect sunlight to grow properly.
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