Feeding America, Day 4 of Harvest 2011

Today we are harvesting Hard Red Winter wheat up on the Genesee rim.  Farmer Joe was making this video from his phone, so the quality is not  as clear (sorry).   It was a hectic day for him as he was fixing an oil leak on his combine... and in his haste to get things fixed & back into the field,  his camera was left in the pick-up.  As Farmer Joe narrates, the wheat is yielding well, but the protein content for this particular kind of wheat is not quite at the optimum level, which will affect the price the farmer will get for the crop.  This wheat is graded on it's protein count.

 

Different kinds of wheat are grown and used for different kinds of baking, so here is a quick run down:

• Hard Red Spring – Hard, brownish, high-protein wheat used for bread and hard baked goods. Bread Flour and high-gluten flours are commonly made from hard red spring wheat..

• Hard Red Winter – Hard, brownish, mellow high-protein wheat used for bread, hard baked goods and as an adjunct in other flours to increase protein in pastry flour for pie crusts. Some brands of unbleached all-purpose flours are commonly made from hard red winter wheat alone.

• Soft Red Winter – Soft, low-protein wheat used for cakes, pie crusts, biscuits, and muffins. Cake flour, pastry flour, and some self-rising flours with baking powder and salt added, for example, are made from soft red winter wheat.

• Hard White – Hard, light-colored, opaque, chalky, medium-protein wheat planted in dry, temperate areas. Used for bread and brewing.

• Soft White – Soft, light-colored, very low protein wheat grown in temperate moist areas. Used for pie crusts and pastry. Pastry flour, for example, is sometimes made from soft white winter wheat.

As always, thanks for stopping by and email me if you have questions or comments at idahofarmwife@gmail.com or post a comment too.  All  my best, Gayle