Why Wheat?

I recently was away for just over two weeks for some good training.  I spent some long days in the heat and humidity working in the woods of Alabama.  By the time I returned home, I was smoked and ready to relax. I hadn’t seen my family in that time (nothing compared to all the time I’ve been away on deployments, but I missed them nonetheless) and decided to take them out.  With a family our size, this can get expensive.  We went to a hibachi restaurant and had a wonderful time.  When the bill came, it was much as I expected.  A little over $250.  A family of 10 including 4 teenage boys can put a hurting on some food.  Our going out to eat as a family is happening less and less.  But, the buffets always sigh when they see us walking up, knowing they are going to lose money. 

A few days after the night out at the hibachi place, I had another experience with food and money.  We participated in a group buy of wheat.  Why wheat? Well, it is one of the best foods you can store for the long term.  It is easy to do, can last (if you do it right, almost forever), and is one of the healthiest options for you.  Knowing how to sprout it can be a lifesaver with helping you get live enzymes and vitamins you couldn’t get otherwise.  Come to our Intro to Emergency Food Storage class if you want to learn more. 

That afternoon I picked up a half ton of wheat.  Mostly hard red wheat, but also some hard white wheat.  As I was driving away with the 50-pound bags in the back of my truck, I started thinking.  I had just paid less than $500 for a 1000 pounds of wheat, yet just a few days before I paid $250 for one meal for my family.  It got me wondering how many “meals” I had in the back of my truck. 

I got home and did some quick calculating.  I’m just basing this on calories, nothing more.  Of course, you will need more than just wheat to make balanced meals.  There are, on average, 327 calories in 100 grams of wheat.  There are 453,592.4 grams in 100 pounds so that’s 1,483,245.84 calories in 1000 pounds.  Going off a 2500 calorie a day (high for what is recommended) diet that’s 593 days of food.  Or you could say 59 days of food for my family of 10.

Another way of looking at it is that one hibachi meal cost the same as what 30 days of wheat for my family would.  Think about that for a few minutes.  We are blessed to still be able to buy and save for a future day of need.  But as you have already felt, inflation is real, prices are going up everywhere for just about everything.  One of the reasons we got another bulk wheat purchase is that our local Mennonite store has told us the price on wheat (and other grains) is going up weekly. 

Of course, there is nothing wrong with going out to eat, but think of your spending habits and think of what you have on hand in case of an emergency.  There is always room for a little extra, for a little more stored food.  Make some purchases now, while there is still plenty and it’s still relatively cheap.  As the multiple emails and messages of thanks I received last year said, “who knew that out of all the training classes I’ve done, taking your advice and the information at the food storage seminar would end up being the most important one for me and my family.” 

Thanks for reading,

Jared