LOCAL GRAINS
Local grains can be added to cold salads like Asian Wheat Berry Salad. Grains like cornmeal, flour and barley can be added to your recipes for baked goods, side dishes, casseroles, and soups. You can make Crunchy Popped Grains (wheat berries) and serve them as a topping on just about anything, or use them as a taste test item.
Agriculture Facts:
- The top five grains grown in Illinois are soybeans, corn, wheat, oats, and sorghum.
- The variety of wheat grown in Illinois is soft red winter.
- Nearly 83% of the wheat grown in Illinois is from the southern half of the state due to a weather-related “double” growing season.
- Illinois wheat is seeded in late September in the north or October in the south.
- Grains grow all over the world and in different types of climates. Across the United States, corn, wheat, and sorghum are commonly grown. Grown in 42 states in the US, wheat makes up 75% of all grain products produced in the US.
- Also known as the caryopsis, or wheat berry, the kernel is the seed from which a new wheat plant grows. It is also the part we grind to produce flour or semolina.
Nutrition and Food Facts:
- Whole grains are important sources of many nutrients, including dietary fiber, several B vitamins (thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, and folate), and minerals (iron, magnesium, and selenium).
- Fiber-containing foods such as whole grains help to provide a feeling of fullness with fewer calories.
- Wheat germ is a concentrated source of several essential nutrients, including vitamin E, folate (folic acid), phosphorus, thiamin, zinc, and magnesium, as well as essential fatty acids and fatty alcohols, and is high in fiber.
- White bread is made using flour that has had the germ and bran removed, hence it is low in fiber and has vitamins and minerals added back into the product.
- For a 2,000-calorie diet, the USDA recommends a total of 6 ounces of grains each day. One ounce is about a slice of bread or 1/2 cup of rice or pasta.
Literature and Lore:
- More than 17,000 years ago, humans gathered the seeds of wheat as an important food source. After rubbing off the husk, the kernels were consumed raw, parched or simmered.
- Socrates didn’t like whole grain bread; he considered it pig food.
- Tossing rice at the end of the marriage ceremony is meant to symbolize rain, which is said to be a sign of prosperity, fertility and good fortune.
Spread the word and build partnerships
Don’t be a solo act. Invite your community to the table!
Promote in-house:
- Announcements
- Newsletters
- Website
- Social media
- Events (health fairs, open houses, garden working events, back to school, holiday activities, parents night, sporting events)
- Meetings (PTO, wellness committee, board of directors, staff professional learning days)
- Food tastings during events
Promote in your community:
- Report on activities and share pictures with news sources
- Share with community partners for their websites, social media and newsletters
- Post fliers at public places (libraries, health centers, non-profit hospitals, garden groups, local farm hubs, farmers markets, health agencies)
- Ask students to create and publicize local food stories – include photos or create videos
Invite others onsite to get involved:
- Build impact by engaging culinary arts, Future Farmers of America, botany, ecocentric and garden programs
- Create relationships and engage non-profit hospitals, garden groups, local farm hubs, farmers markets, health agencies and advocates
- Find support in local culinary leaders and businesses
Curricular Connections and Activities
K-12:
- Ag in the Classroom: for a list of various activities and lesson plans for elementary, middle, and high school students, visit Ag in the Classroom’s Curriculum Matrix. Visit this web page and search “grains” in the search box.
Menu Logos – right click to save these images
Recipes
We have many recipes for you to look through in our Recipe Index! Here you can see take-home recipes for use in the community as well as more choices for your cafeteria. You will find hot and cold recipes for most foods. Be sure to use the provided icons on your menu!
Featured Food Service Recipe: Berry Rhubarb Crisp
Featured CACFP Recipe: Banana Oatmeal Cakes
Featured Home Recipe #1: Brown Butter Apple Loaf
Featured Home Recipe #2: Sunshine Muffins