How long do wheat berries last?

[Mimi in Maine]

I have wheat berries that are about 7 years old. We have used most of them, but I have quite a few left. Are they still good or should I throw them out? Thanks.

[UnknownChef86]

I would think that if they've been kept in a cool, dry environment that they should still be good.

[Brandyberry]

As long as they haven't gotten "buggy" and have stayed dry, I would think they are ok. FYI for the future - freeze your wheat (berries or flour) and they will keep indefinitely!

[Mimi in Maine]

Thank you for the help. I will check and in the future I will put them in the freezer.

[UnknownChef86]

Brandyberry wrote:
As long as they haven't gotten "buggy" and have stayed dry, I would think they are ok. FYI for the future - freeze your wheat (berries or flour) and they will keep indefinitely!

Good point about the bugs...an obvious point I forgot to mention.

[Chef on the coast]

Wheat berries are one of those foods that last indefinitely if stored properly. My parents have some that are 20+ years old that are still good. We have about 1500 lbs of wheat here that is 6 years old. We are working our way through it.

[Mimi in Maine]

[quote="Chef #278118"]Wheat berries are one of those foods that last indefinitely if stored properly. My parents have some that are 20+ years old that are still good. We have about 1500 lbs of wheat here that is 6 years old. We are working our way through it.[/quote]


Oh, my goodness. I have some that we purchased in late 1999 and haven't used yet. How will I know if they are still good? I know that I haven't stored them properly.

[Chef on the coast]

As long as the berries don't have any foul smells and are smelling rancid - they should be fine. To store - you need to get the air out.

[Mimi in Maine]

[quote="Chef #278118"]As long as the berries don't have any foul smells and are smelling rancid - they should be fine. To store - you need to get the air out.[/quote]

O.K. Thanks. Will check on it.

[Momma Helen]

I am new here and wondered if there is anyway to get rid of bugs in wheat berries? These were bought a couple of months ago and I saw some moths in them. Not when I bought them but when I opened them today. I am so upset since my budget is so tight!!
Somewhere I read washing them and then letting them dry. Will this work?? I have 50 pounds and don't want to waste them if at all possible to save them. Can you help???
Thank you for your assistance
Helen

[Brandyberry]

I'm not sure if I'd be willing to chance it. How would you know if all the worms got out? I once baked rolls from wheat that I hadn't noticed being buggy, but it was and you could see the worms in the rolls.

I've only worked with whole wheat berries for the last 10 years so I don't know a whole lot about them. I just remember mentioning my buggy wheat to my MIL and she said about all I could do is go throw it over the fence, start fresh and keep my berries in the freezer.

We just sold the last of our wheat berries yesterday or else I would offer to send some to you. We harvest every June/July, keep that in mind if you ever need any more.

[Momma Helen]

Oh thanks for your kind offer!
I have a little miracle to share with you!
Only ONE 25# bag is buggy!!
We decided to crack the buggy wheat slightly in the grain mill and feed it to the rabbits, hogs and calves! So with this inspiration we will truly not be wasting it. We have to buy some feed anyway and this will actually help save us a little money on feed this week!
Thanks again for your offer!
You grow wheat, is it organic by chance???
Helen

[Brandyberry]

Helen,

We grow hard red winter wheat and no, Im sorry its not organic. We do use it for our own use though for baking, etc.

We really should salute organic farmers. Its such a tough leap to make. So many worrys about the crops with little to no solutions to fix the problems. When farming, so much of your success is out of your hands and into mother nature's that when you can control things like bugs, disease, fungus, and of course yield with a bit of chemical, from our business standpoint it just makes sense. Its an eye opener for a lot of people to hear that we have no market for organic grains here in NW Kansas. If we were to grow organic we would have to market it ourselves or travel a very long way to find a co-op or distributor to sell at. When you are having to pay $150,000 for a tractor, $200,000 for a combine, etc. and these loans have to be paid off in 5 years, you have to maximize your yields and minimize your losses to make farming a go these days.

Sorry for the hijack, I kindof got off on a rant.
Mary

PS - organic/all natural beef is much easier - we have a bunch of that we sell every year.

[Mimi in Maine]

Momma Helen wrote:
I am new here and wondered if there is anyway to get rid of bugs in wheat berries? These were bought a couple of months ago and I saw some moths in them. Not when I bought them but when I opened them today. I am so upset since my budget is so tight!!
Somewhere I read washing them and then letting them dry. Will this work?? I have 50 pounds and don't want to waste them if at all possible to save them. Can you help???
Thank you for your assistance
Helen

Those moths are grain moths and they will get into anything like other grains, rice, cereal, dog or cat food, dry beans, raisins, etc. They will even infest certain types of paper. They lay eggs and then come the worms and then the moths. They have a webby cocoon with a worm in it. If you are infested with them you should throw out all your stuff and you can get a grain moth catcher at the health food store or on-line. You hang it and break open a capsule that attracts the male moths. They go in and stick to the lining of the trap. But you have to get rid of the source. I know it is expensive to throw stuff away, but that is the only way. Get on the internet and type in grain moth and read about them.

[Biscuit Eater]

If you want to keep wheat berries for a long time without freezing, I know a really neat trick.
Pick up some of the 5 gal. plastic buckets with the snap on lids
(walmart, home depot, ect.) fill them with wheat and then put a good sized chunk of dry ice on top. As it melts the CO2 seeps down into the wheat pushing out the air. When you see the gas starting to flow over the sides, snap on the lids.
No oxygen, no bugs.
Unopened they should be good for around 50 years.