Preparedness blog

Ways to Use Wheat

By Ready Expert
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>Wheat has been used for millennia as a dependable staple, proving itself as a great food storage item. But did you know that you can use wheat to show your wife that you love her?

Now, we’re not just talking about using wheat to bake your wife a loaf of bread or something. Instead, you can use wheat to keep her warm, pamper her or even keep the kids entertained while she relaxes.

Comment below to tell us what you’ve used wheat for and share your knowledge. Women, feel free to forward this to your significant other to spark some ideas.

How to make a wheat facial maskHomemade Facials
What better way to pamper your wife than with a relaxing night and a cost-efficient facial? Instead of buying expensive oils and mixtures, you can use wheat to create a facial mask for your wife’s relaxing night.

You’ll need:

• 1 quart of water
• 4 tbsp. whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp. honey
• 2 tbsp. rose water
• 6 tbsp. milk
• Peels from 1 orange
• 8 dried rose petals

1. Bring the water to a boil
2. Add the rose petals and orange peels. Reduce heat and cover.
3. In a separate pan, heat the milk, rose water and honey and mix. Then remove from heat.
4. Add the flour to the mixture of milk, rose water and honey. Whisk  into a paste.
5. Apply the warm paste to your face and neck. Leave on for 15-20 minutes.
6. Carefully, wash the dried mask off with the rose and orange water.

How to make a wheat microwave heating padKeep Her Warm with a Microwave Heating Pad
The ladies in my house get cold at night during the middle of summer. Now that it’s starting to get cold outside, a cost-efficient heater that she can keep in her blanket would be awesome! Well, let wheat help you out!

You’ll need:

• Thick cotton fabric of your choice
• Wheat

1. Use scissors to cut the fabric into square or rectangle. Fold the material in half with the front of the material on the inside so that fabric is inside-out.
2. Use a very small stitch to close two sides of the fabric. Leave one small side open.
3. Turn the fabric rightside-out so that the sewn sides don’t show on the outside.
4. Fill the fabric with wheat but don’t overfill it.
5. Sew the remaining side shut.

These instructions are for a regular rectangular pad but you can make them into any shape that you want. After you’ve prepared your microwave heating pad, you can microwave it for 1-2 minutes and it should keep you warm and cozy.

How to make hardtackHardtack
Hardtack is a very hard flat cracker that was often used by soldiers during the Civil War. When kept dry, these crackers can last for over 50 years. If you’re planning on taking your wife on a camping trip soon, you’ve got to keep her happy.

While you’re hiking along, you’ll be able to pull out this energizing snack to keep her satisfied and happy.

In order to create hardtack you’ll need:

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons of salt

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Place the water and salt in a bowl. Slowly add in bits of flour while stirring constantly. Continue until the mixture is too thick to stir.
3. Knead the dough and roll until it’s ½ inch thick.
4. Use a pizza cutter to 3x3 inch squares
5. Use a skewer stick and poke 16 holes (4x4) into the squares
6. Lay the squares on an ungreased cookie sheet
7. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the squares, flip over and bake for another 30 minutes.
8. Take the crackers out when they are golden brown. Let cool for 30 minutes.

To make a softer hardtack (yes, we realize how weird that sounds), you can add 2 tablespoons of cold butter or shortening crumbles. Instead, place flour in the bowl first with butter then add water and salt and stir a few times. Then continue with step 4.

How to make a wheatpasteMake Glue for Projects
Back in the day, the circus would travel from town to town promoting their show. In order to get the word out about their bearded women, they would create posters and hang them throughout the town. They would actually cook their own glue - wheatpaste- to paste these signs across the town.

Now-a-days, you can use wheatpaste for paper mache projects with the kids. Just be sure to not make too big of a mess and clean up after you’re done.

In order to make your own wheatpaste, you’ll need:

• Flour
• Water
• Sugar

1. Bring 1 cup of water to a boil
2. In a separate bowl, mix 3 tablespoons of flour with 10 tablespoons of water. Stir until it’s a runny mixture.
3. Once the 1 cup of water has boiled, add the runny mixture. Stir the mixture well and continue to heat.
4. Keep boiling for about 2 minutes. The mixture will foam.
5. Take the boiling mixture off the heat and add 4 tablespoons of sugar. Stir until desolved completely.
6. Pour into a container and allow to cool. The wheatpaste should stay for about a week.

Create Your Own Meat Substitute
Is your wife a vegetarian or happen to be allergic to certain kinds of meats? Luckily, you can create a meat substitute with wheat gluten!

To obtain gluten from wheat:

1. Measure out 1 cup of flour
2. Slowly add about ½ to ¾ cup of water into the flour and knead the mixture. Once formed into a dough, allow to sit for 10 minutes.
3. In the sink, run cold water over the dough balls. Cup the dough balls in your hand and squeezing gently. Be careful not to allow the dough balls to disintegrate.
4. You’ll notice a lot of water turning milky colors - this is the starches washing off. As you continue to wash off the starches, the dough ball will become a series of gummy strands.
5. When the water is no longer milky, you know you’re done. You should have a ball of gluten strands in your hands.

In order to create meat substitute, you’ll need:

• 2 cups Water
• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce
• 2 tablespoons Molasses
• 2 cups Wheat Gluten
• 2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil
• 2 tablespoons each of finely chopped garlic, ginger, onion (optional)

1. In a large saucepan, pour water until about half full
2. Add 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and 2 tablespoons of molasses
3. Bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat
4. In a separate bowl, mix w cups wheat gluten with 2 cups water. Add optional seasonings as desired. Mix with fork until sticky.
5. Knead the dough on a board for about a half minute or so. Flatten the slab to about a ½ inch thick.
6. Work the dough into foot long strips and cut into ½ inch bits
7. Place the bits into the sauce and bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower temperature and simmer for about 1 hour.
8. After cooking, drain and place the gluten chunks in a sealable container until ready to use.
9. When you’re ready to use the gluten chunks, prepare them by frying them in vegetable oil

What Wheat Wonders!
So what have you used wheat for? Comment below to tell us what the staple of life has done for you lately!

12 years ago
Comments
LiberalPrepper
12 years ago at 6:58 AM
I really can't see my husband doing any of these. Building shelves for food storage - oh, wait, I did that; getting buckets and containers for food storage - um, that was me; sewing a microwave soother - he doesn't even know how to thread the machine and I am sure you aren't telling people to *hand sew* that thing...not to say that men aren't handy with a needle and thread, or capable of making these things, but DH is a pretty typical guy and doesn't sew or do much with rose petals.
jello
12 years ago at 6:01 PM
I would absolutely be tickled pink if my husband made me some hardtack for Mother's Day. I wouldn't want anything else.
Bryan Kyler
12 years ago at 4:46 AM
For the Microwave heating pad, what form of wheat do you use? Wheat berries, wheat flour, other?
Eric Schachsieck
8 years ago at 1:47 PM
buy cialis
David
6 years ago at 7:41 AM
A lot of preppers aren’t married, and/or can do the suggested uses whether a man or a woman.
David
6 years ago at 7:41 AM
A lot of preppers aren’t married, and/or can do the suggested uses whether a man or a woman.
Aarthi
3 years ago at 7:50 PM
The cookies are delicious, I used Aashirvaad Sugar Release Control wheat flour in making these. This is truly crunchy and helps to maintain sugar levels.