Harvesting wheat
By creematee
@creematee (2810)
United States
October 26, 2008 12:27pm CST
I have a question for you... My aunt has given me a small bag of wheat... fresh from the field. There is a lot of paper and shaft on the grain, and I was wondering if anyone has tips on how to take it off. We've got the whole family squishing little baggies of wheat in hopes to remove the shaft. We then put the wheat in a big bowl, and dump it from bowl to bowl outside in the wind to blow off the paper. Is there an easier way to do this? Or should I be glad I only have 2 lbs. of wheat, and not 50 lbs.
Thank you!!
Thank you!!1 person likes this
2 responses
@guybrush (4658)
• Australia
26 Oct 08
Wow - how lovely to have a bag of fresh wheat! I'm afraid I have no idea how to process it easily, but it sounds like a very good idea to move it from bowl to bowl, as you are doing. It might be time consuming, but you will end up with a beautiful loaf of bread at the end!
1 person likes this
@creematee (2810)
• United States
27 Oct 08
Well, we did get that bread made, and it was delicious! Next time, though, I'm going to have to put my little grinder into overdrive and try to crush the grains just a bit more. A little too chuncky for our taste. Fresh wheat did taste better, though, than that store bought stuff.
I was doing some research online for how to clean it, and found a site that explained how the pioneers did it. Without the aid of electricity, it would take the family 1/2 day to get enough wheat for a loaf of bread. I won't complain anymore about spending 2 hours doing it!!
@jwfarrimond (4473)
•
26 Oct 08
You might use an electric fan to blow the chaff off rather than standing outside. But that's the way to do it. 
In the past, they used to throw the grain into the air with a shovel so that the wind could blow the chaff away - that's the way to deal with a large amount of grain that needs winnowing.
In the past, they used to throw the grain into the air with a shovel so that the wind could blow the chaff away - that's the way to deal with a large amount of grain that needs winnowing.