graham (groats?)

[surfergrrl]

does anyone know if we can get raw graham groats or flour? i'm not sure where it comes from ... if it's the bran or hull from some other grain.
used to love graham crackers and i was thinking....

[Shivananda]

From About Cooking:

Graham flour is a form of whole wheat flour. It is named for Sylvester Graham, a forerunner of the health food movement. Graham developed this form of flour in the 1830s in hopes of diverting people away from the less healthy refined white flour. His Graham hotels promoted vegetarian meals and unseasoned foods, being of the belief that condiments would encourage the imbibing of alcohol.

To make graham flour, the endosperm of winter wheat is finely ground.
The bran and germ layers are returned and mixed in, resulting in a coarse, brown flour with a nutty and slightly sweet flavor. Today, some commercial granaries remove much of the wheat germ to prolong the shelf life of the flour. The germ contains oil that accelerates rancidity. Graham flour is unrefined and unbleached.

Although the terms graham flour and whole wheat flour are often used interchangeably, there is a difference. Graham flour is a slightly coarser grind than whole wheat flour.

[surfergrrl]

many thanks for all the info. i've got to think about this now and whether it's a good idea to try to make some dehydrated graham crackers or not. maybe Bob's Red Mill products has a graham flour that's not overprocessed or heated in excess of 115 degrees.

[Debrah]

Shivananda,
You are such a wealth of knowledge.

It wasn't until I started frequenting this board that I began to realize just how ignorant I am about produce, plants and agriculture (I am a city girl who's never had a garden).

[Shivananda]

(I am a city girl who's never had a garden).

OK, time to get over that! As soon as I can get a decent photo together of the little windowsill garden I invented, which you can make yourself out of a plastic carryout container, I'm going to post step by step instructions on how to make it and use it. Even "city kids" can learn to sprout and to grow neato plants on their window sill, kitchen counter, or desk. It's soooo easy, and it really starts to connect you spiritually to where food actually comes from.

So start thinking about a garden. Spring is on the way!

[surfergrrl]

I am trying to grow basil in my windowsill. i even soaked some of my dulse and nori in water for a few days to make a fertilizer and poured in on. i have the cutestes little seedlings, but i fear that if they don't get stronger soon, they will wilt away.
i am endeavoring to grow a windowsill garden this spring. any thoughts on the best type of potting soil and fertilizer to use? (you asked for it!)

[JinxieKat]

OooO you did ask for it Shivananda! I can hardly wait for your thread on gardening. I've got a backyard this year that is just begging for a garden and I am at loss on how to do it without buying pesticides, miracle grow, etc. I think that Dragggon is supposed to be posting on gardening soonish as well. I'm doing some reading, but I'm at the point where I'm more confused than anything else *lol*

But, as to not hijack the thread, I wonder what would make a graham type cracker. I wonder if you used golden flax seeds, ground up almonds, and some agave nectar or honey how close that would come to a graham cracker. Or maybe some sprouted wheat in it as well.. Hmm.. maybe chia seeds instead of flax. I just got some of those today and they are tiny little critters. They would make a good binder as well. Hmm.. got me thinking.

Jinx