What Types of Grain Should I Get?

From Mickey Cross's Get Ready Gazette:

Your storage should include a variety of grains: wheat (whole), oats, corn (whole), rice, pasta, etc.  There are various type of wheat: Hard winter red, hard red spring and hard white spring wheat store best and are probably best in breads.  Other varieties are:  Hard red spring, soft red winter, soft white wheat, and Durum (used to make semolina flour for pasta).  The soft wheats are best for sprouting.  For long term storage, the hard wheats are the best. 

Hard Red Winter Wheat:  Largest type produced each year in the US.  Wide range of protein contents.  Good for baking.

Hard Red Spring: Highest protein content of wheats.

Hard White Spring: Milder and sweeter flavor than other wheats.  Newest class of wheat.

Amounts to store per adult per MONTH:   Wheat: 3 cans (lasts 40+ years),  white rice: 2 cans (lasts 29+ years),  oats: 1 can (lasts 29+ years), macaroni: 1 can (lasts 6-8 years).

OTHER TYPES OF GRAINS:

Rye:  Native grain of Russia & Northern Europe.  Contains less gluten (substance in grains that hold carbon dioxide that yeast makes and enables bread to rise) than wheat.  Rye bread is more dense, but moist.  Excellent as a supplementary grain to wheat.  Can be ground into flour. Two parts rye to 5 parts wheat makes a light bread.

Oats:   Oats are a versatile grain:  used as a cereal or as a supplementary grain in cookies, breads, desserts, crusts, muffins and granola.

Rice:  Whole kernel is very nutritious, especially wild rice.  Rice polishings and rice bran are sometimes removed leaving only the starch.  Rice can be ground into flour.   Rice bread has a cake-like texture.

Barley:  Native grain of Eastern Europe.  Excellent addition to soups and casseroles or as a rice substitute.  May be ground and used as a supplementary grain (1 part barley to 5 parts wheat).

Corn:  Native grain of America.  Corn is usually ground as meal, not as a flour (but it can be).

Millet:  A native grain of Africa, millet may be used in puddings, soup, bread and casseroles (whole or ground).  It’s effect and flavor on bread is similar to corn.  Add a one to five ratio of millet to flour.  Too much millet causes bread to become more dense and the top crust to peel off.

Soy:  Contains the highest protein content of any vegetable and is very versatile.  Soy has a high oil content so if you grind it, make sure it can be ground in your mill.  They can be blended into flour in a blender.

Triticale:  Strain of wheat with high protein content (usually over 16%). Bread made from this grain alone will not rise properly to make  a light loaf.  Use this grain on a 1:1 ratio with hard winter wheat to make bread.