Grains Grains were some of the first crops ever developed. They were important for 2 reasons –1) Grain is high in energy! –2) Grain can be stored for a long period of time without spoiling. It is dry and hard, so it doesn’t get moldy or rotten.
Common Grains Wheat- It is ground into flour. With flour we make bread and pasta (noodles). Barley- It can be boiled and eaten in soups. It can also be ground into flour. Rice- The grains are boiled and eaten. Corn- small hard corns are also ground into corn flour (corn meal). Most corn today is used as feed for cattle. Another food that is not a grain but has a lot of the same nutrition is the potato. Potatoes came from South America.
Wheat growing
Wheat ready to harvest
Wheat grains
Wheat Kernel Structure
Turning Wheat into Flour
Barley Very old crop. Barley was grown in ancient Egypt and has been used ever since. It is used to make flour and is also the main ingredient used to brew beer.
Barley Growing
Barley Grains
Rice Very important grain, especially in Asia. Rice is high in energy (carbohydrates) and also contains protein.
It takes a lot of work to take care of the rice plants as they grow
Rice Field
Rice Terraces
Rice Grains
Corn (Maize) Corn originally comes from the Western Hemisphere (N and S America) Before Columbus corn was unknown in Europe, Africa, and Asia. Grain corn is different from sweet corn
Corn Meal (ground up corn)
Harvest To harvest means to collect the crops when they are ready. First you plow the field, Then you plant the seeds, Then you take care of the crops until they are ready Last, you harvest the crops.
Hope you learned about farming!!! Wrap-up questions (you should know by now…) What is a plow for? Why were grains important to early civilizations? What are some of the main types of grains? How do we use grains today?