Wheatberries

I bought this bag of Winter Rye Berries at the Farmer's Market last Saturday and decided to give them a try.

A Wheatberry is the entire wheat kernel (except for the hull), which includes the bran, germ, and endosperm.

A beautiful, healthy, whole grain! 

The directions say to place 3 cups of water to 1 cup of berries in a pot and bring to a boil, and the reduce to medium low, cover and cook until tender (about 40-50 minutes). 

Well, my stove is somewhat unpredictable, and I get distracted, so I used my rice cooker instead - which worked out wonderfully! I added the water and berries in the same ratio, turned the switch to cook, and left them alone until I heard it pop up. They were perfect! 

Then I put them in a Pyrex bowl with a lid and set them in the fridge. What on earth am I going to do with them? I just cooked them with no real plan in mind. Well, here is some advice from a fun food blogger who seems to have some everyday. Ask Kath. 

I had some for breakfast this morning: I mixed the wheatberries with granola, blueberries and my homemade yogurt. (I added 2 Tbsp maple syrup and 1 Tbsp vanilla to the yogurt right before I poured them into the jars - it is delicious. Definitely going to repeat that yogurt recipe!)

I liked them in my morning yogurt and granola - it gave it a pleasant chewy texture - and who doesn't love the nutrition from a whole grain? 

For lunch I added them to the salads I made us; I figured they were in lieu of croutons. 

Also a winner!!!! I really liked the taste and texture in the salad, though it was a bummer that most of them sank to the bottom of the salad bowl - they were hard to get to until the end. I think Ross is pretty neutral about them, and perhaps is just kind enough to eat them because I am cooking for him. Or it's because he is a boy, or a passive-aggressive Minnesotan, or just not quite the foodie that I am... who knows. 

Wheatberries can be substituted for rice in most recipes - a local alternative to those trying to keep their food miles down! I think I am going to try some in my next bread recipe as well! Apparently you can grind them up and use them in pancakes and muffins as well. 

Question: Have you ever eaten wheatberries? How did you prepare them?