Grains

Grains are the edible seeds of plants called cereals and pseudo-cereals. Grain types include amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, corn, einkorn, farro, folio, freekah, kaniwa, millet, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, spelt, teff, triticale, wheat, and wild rice.

Grain consumption accounts for 80% of the world’s calories. Grains are usually dried to preserve them and need to be reconstituted for eating. They can be cooked, sprouted, or made into flour.

Millet is a staple food in Africa and many parts of Asia where it has been cultivated for thousands of years. Kulish is a Ukrainian millet dish made with potatoes, carrots, onion, and salo or pig fat. Nasi Goreng is a popular fried rice dish in Indonesia. Wheat and barley are grown in Northern and Central Iraq. A dish made there with barley and beef is called Paqota. Khoubz is an Iraqi flatbread made with wheat flour and is usually cooked in a domed clay oven called Tanoor.

This webpage includes a variety of educational materials, activities, recipes, and more about grains for use at home, in youth or family programming, in the classroom, and in the cafeteria. More grain resources can be found here. For more New Hampshire Harvest of the Month resources for April, click here.

Lesson Plan for Grains

Developed in partnership with UNH Extension, NH Farm to School, and the UNH Education department, the Harvest Lessons lesson plan and curricular activities can be used by education professionals to incorporate grains into dynamic, long-lasting learning in the classroom and other education-based settings.