Wheat berries – who knew!

I must confess that my first experience with these little chewy nuggets all started with Central Market in Lancaster. I always stop at The Goodie Shoppe because they have a wide variety of veggie and pasta combos (and a killer Indian veggie patty) that is often my lunch! Their wheat berries inspired me to go on a search at my local market for these elusive little buds.

So what is a wheat berry? Exactly what it says it is.  It’s the full wheat kerne with the bran, germ and endosperm intact. Many “healthy” grains we eat today have been stripped of the nutritious bran and germ and we are left with the endosperm which doesn’t have any nutritional value and lacks fiber which keeps us full. Think brown rice vs white rice or whole grain bread vs white bread.

Back to the berries…they do take some time to cook – about an hour. Make a batch and then freeze them because they are great tossed into salads. They have a very nice dense and chewy texture that works really well against sweet fruits.  Cranberry and apples come to mind, but just about any bright fruit would work.

Here I tossed an easy salad with pistachios and sunflower seeds with cranberry and some greens.

An easy vinagraitte of lemon, olive oil, vinegar and sugar will finish the salad.  I chose to use Olio’s White Lemon Balsamic vinegar I had on hand. It’s incredibly sweet and full of lemon flavor. It’s one of my favorite Product Finds and you are in luck if you live in Lancaster since it’s available just down the road in Lititz.

Recipe – Serves 1 – 2

1 cup of chopped spinach or kale

1 cup of cooked wheatberries

1 celery stalk, diced

2 tablespoons of diced dried cranberries, cherries

2 tablespoons of pistachios, walnuts or sunflower seeds

2 tablespoons of herbs such as dill or parsley

Toss all ingredients together and top with your favorite dressing.  For a quick lemon vinaigrette, whisk together equal parts lemon juice and olive oil, a sprinkle of oregano, a dash of sugar, salt and pepper.