Wally’s Wheat World Join Wally Wheat on an adventure from the farm to your kitchen table
Hi! I’m Wally Wheat
Fun
Facts About Wheat
• Wheat is a plant that produces a dry, edible seed called a kernel or berry. • Did you know that wheat is one of Alberta’s largest agriculture crops? • Wheat was first grown over 11, 000 years ago, making it really, really old! • The Egyptian pyramids were constructed by people who ate wheat. • Wheat is grown on more land than any other food in the world. • Wheat is in more than just bread, bagels, crackers, cereals, and pasta – it can be found in paper, hair conditioners, adhesives on postage stamps, charcoal and biodegradable plastic forks, knives and spoons. • Alberta produces enough wheat in one year to make 9,258,000,000 loaves of bread. • Wheat and wheat products such as whole grain bread, pasta and cereal are an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. • The Alberta Wheat Commission works for 14,000 farmers in Alberta. 2
Meet Wally Wheat. He will guide you through all the activities in this book and teach you about the wheat we grow in Alberta!
COLOURING PAGE
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Wheat Your Words Using the word bank below, fill in the blanks to learn more about wheat and wheat farming in Alberta.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Wheat is ground up into _____________ to make ________________. There are _____________ wheat growers in Alberta. Wheat is part of the ______________ crop group. Bread, bagels and pasta are part of the ________________ group in Canada’s food guide. Bonus question: a 4-8 year old should eat _______ servings per day of grain products. Farmers use a ______________ to harvest wheat.
Word Bank Flour Grain Products Combine 4 Bread Cereal 14,000
Scramble the words below to learn all the foods you eat that contain wheat!
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LERACE
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GEBAL
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NUBS
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SIKEOCO
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APIT
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ECAK
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SCBITUIS
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ZPZIA
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ITGAPESTH
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FIMUNSF
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CSRAKRCE
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REDBA
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Word Bank CRACKERS BISCUITS BREAD CEREAL MUFFINS BAGEL BUNS CAKE COOKIES SPAGHETTI PIZZA PITA
From Field to Fork Wheat takes a long journey from the farmer’s field to the loaf of bread in your kitchen. First, farmers plant their seeds and spend the summer months making sure the plants are healthy and strong. In the fall, the plants mature by turning from green to gold, and then they are harvested or taken off the field. The farmer then sells his wheat at a grain elevator. The wheat can then be sold to a miller, where it is ground into a fine powder called flour. The flour is then sold to a bakery where it is turned into bread that you can eat. Look at the following images and put numbers 1-6 beside each photo that describes the steps mentioned above.
This is what the inside of a wheat seed looks like. Farmers not only plant the seed to grow wheat, but the seed is also the part of the plant we eat.
Endosperm Starch Protein
Bran Layers Fibre Protein Antioxidants Vitamin E and B
Germ Antioxidants Minerals
Healthy Fats Vitamin E and B
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Did you know that the world produces all kinds of products made from wheat. How many of these foods have you eaten?
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Can you find these foods? bagels cereal chapati churros couscous
crepes danish empanadas naan bread perogies
pita pizza pretzels semla steamed buns
tabbouleh udon noodles waffles weetabix
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A–maze–ing Help the 4 coloured pencils find their way to Wally wheat through the maze below.
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Wheat’s Up Wheat farming is one of Alberta’s top agriculture industries. Using the word bank below, find all the words about wheat farming.
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Word Bank FIELD COMBINE GLOVES HARVEST SEEDING SOIL GROWTH SPRAYING DISEASE WEEDS RAIN FARMER 9
Play With Your Wheat
Did you know you can use FLOUR for more than just FOOD!?! Flour mixed with water and a few other ingredients form together to make PLAY DOUGH!
Make your own homemade play dough in a few easy steps. No Cook Play Dough 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 1 tbsp. canola oil ½ to 1 cup cold water Combine flour and salt. Add oil and water. Mix until ingredients are combined. Knead well until forms a smooth, thick dough. If it is too wet and sticky, add a little more flour. Store in an airtight container or sealed plastic bag. Optional: Add food colouring or flavored Kool-Aid to create colourful play dough!
Try this recipe to make homemade Christmas ornaments from flour! Homemade Christmas Ornaments 2 cups flour 1 cup salt 1 cup water Combine flour, salt and water in a mixing bowl until it forms into a dough. Knead on a lightly floured surface until a soft ball forms. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface. The thicker you roll it the easier it is to work with. For younger children keep the dough quite thick and cut into shapes of your choice, using cookie cutters. At the top of each shape use a straw to make a single hole (this will be used to hang your ornament). Because the dough will be dried at a very low temperature you can decorate now with jewels, mirrors, beads etc. Please do not paint them until after the baking process. Place items on a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake at 200°F for three hours. Let cool completely before applying any paint, glitter etc. Once dry, apply a coat of a gloss finish (Mod Podge works) and hang with ribbon. Optional: If you want coloured dough add food colouring to the water. Note: Unused dough can be wrapped in a sandwich bag and kept in the fridge for up to six weeks.
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Eat Your Wheat Canada’s Food Guide recommends children 4-8 years old eat 4 servings of grain products every day! Grain products are foods such as bread, pancakes, cereal, pitas, pasta, and crackers. All of these foods contain flour, which is wheat that is ground up into a fine powder. Here is a great whole wheat pancake recipe that you can make at home to make sure you Eat Your Wheat and get your 4 daily servings of grain products!
Whole Wheat Pancakes Yield: Serves 2-3 1 cup milk 1 tbsp. vinegar 1 cup whole wheat flour 2 tsp. sugar 1/2 tsp. baking powder 1/4 tsp. baking soda 1/4 tsp. salt 1 egg 2 tbsp. canola oil Butter for greasing the griddle Combine the milk and vinegar and let the mixture curdle while you mix together the other ingredients. In a big bowl, combine the whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In another bowl, whisk together the egg, melted butter, and the curdled milk, until it looks fairly smooth. Whisk this wet mixture into the dry ingredients, and stir the two together until just barely mixed. You want any visible loose flour to be stirred in, but there should still be plenty of lumps. If you stir out the lumps, the pancakes will likely be tough. Preheat a nonstick griddle to 375°F and grease the surface with butter. Pour a small amount of batter on the griddle and cook for a few minutes, until you start to see little bubbles forming on the surface. Flip the pancakes with a spatula and cook for a few minutes on the other side, until you peek underneath and see that the bottom is golden brown. Serve with butter and maple syrup. Enjoy! Notes: *You can substitute lemon juice for the vinegar, or you can substitute buttermilk for the milk and vinegar if that's what you have on hand. Recipe from www.fifteenspatulas.com
Healthy Whole Grains • A whole grain wheat product contains all three parts of a wheat kernel (everything pictured on page 5 in this book). • Most whole grain foods are low in fat and cholesterol. • It is important we eat foods like whole grains because our bodies need lots of energy and our energy comes from the things we eat and drink.
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#200, 6815 8th St. NE Calgary, AB T2E 7H7 403.717-3711
[email protected]
@albertawheat
www.albertawheat.com
