Wheat Berry Salad

Since I think about food 24/7, I'm prone to eccentric thoughts like building an oven from mud or sabotaging a factory that churns out chemically processed chunks of chicken. Most thoughts I just keep to myself because I'm a thin-skinned soul who would crumple under the bewildered stares of strangers and loved ones.

Here's a secret I wouldn't share with most people: I think about plowing my front yard and planting a patch of wheat. Instead of mowing once a week, I'd thresh once a year. Instead of working the weather into small talk, I'd discuss it with urgency. I'd be a street side farmer and with the fruits of my labor I'd make this:

Wheat Berry Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup wheat berries
• 2 quarts of water
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 6 slices of bacon, chopped
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
  

***Feel free to vary the ingredients. Keep the wheat berries as your base recipe. I saw recipes with dried cherries, feta cheese, nuts, lemon juice and oil. Relax and use whatever you have on hand.

Preparation:

1. In a large saucepan combine wheat berries, water, and salt. Bring to a boil. Lower temperature, so it simmers. Place lid on pan and allow to simmer for 45-60 minutes. The berries should be tender and slightly chewy.


2. Drain and rinse berries under cold water. Then place berries in a large bowl.


3. Mix tomatoes, onions, and bacon into the wheat berries.


4. In a small bowl, whisk oil and balsamic vinegar together. Drizzle and mix into salad.


5. Enjoy warm or cold.

I enjoyed leftover wheat berry salad for breakfast this morning, and it possessed the power to resist the temptation of donuts at this morning's teacher in-service. This is the power of whole grains. You need to harness and unleash this power.

pass the scythe,

muddy