Bob's Red Mill Bulgur Wheat

[Jenise]

Though a fan of the brand, I've never used Bob's bulgur before. Perhaps I've never even seen it for sale. Whatever--I'll never buy any other again! I've just made a whole package for a tabbouleh, and this stuff is DELICOUS. Wheatier and nuttier with the hulls still attached, and cut less into little blocks than lengths. Not sure how they do that, but it's a superior texture not only for mouthfeel but for keeping the grains separate--zero clumping. I better be careful or there will be none left to take to the party.

I think it is Bob's father who owns our local Moore's Flour Mill, I will see if he carries it. I do know that one of our local health food stores has devoted a huge section to Red Mill Products. I love using it for cold salads in the summer because I can make it in the morning and have a substantial side dish to go with some grilled meat, foul or fish, done quickly at night.

I too think Bob’s RM bulgur is a little nuttier than others, maybe just because it’s fresher than other brands in health food stores. And that may be because it also shows up in everyday grocery stores, so the company moves a lot of product. I spent last summer in Ely in rural NE Nevada (population 7000—the hub and by far biggest city within a 150-mile circle) and was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty good range of Bob’s RM products on the shelves of the local supermarket. Once only Albers brand degermed cornmeal was available, but this year I could get whole grain cornmeal, garbanzo bean flour, bulgur, you name it. That’s especially great in a place like Ely, which for all its scenic and historic interest has absolutely the worst restaurants in the USA. Usually in these small western cities there is at least one place that serves a decent breakfast. Not Ely!

Because it cooks relatively quickly, bulgur makes a great pilaf on extended backpacking trips, way better tasting and more nutritious than the “instant” brown rice I formerly used. With a few wild onions, homemade jerky, and the right spices, bulgur yields tasty trail food. As Ernest Hemingway put it, “Anyone can rough it. The real outdoorsman is the fellow who knows how to be comfortable in the backcountry.” Now if only I could get some freeze-dried wine!

[Jenise]

I too think Bob’s RM bulgur is a little nuttier than others, maybe just because it’s fresher than other brands in health food stores. And that may be because it also shows up in everyday grocery stores, so the company moves a lot of product. I spent last summer in Ely in rural NE Nevada (population 7000—the hub and by far biggest city within a 150-mile circle) and was pleasantly surprised to find a pretty good range of Bob’s RM products on the shelves of the local supermarket. Once only Albers brand degermed cornmeal was available, but this year I could get whole grain cornmeal, garbanzo bean flour, bulgur, you name it. That’s especially great in a place like Ely, which for all its scenic and historic interest has absolutely the worst restaurants in the USA. Usually in these small western cities there is at least one place that serves a decent breakfast. Not Ely!

Because it cooks relatively quickly, bulgur makes a great pilaf on extended backpacking trips, way better tasting and more nutritious than the “instant” brown rice I formerly used. With a few wild onions, homemade jerky, and the right spices, bulgur yields tasty trail food. As Ernest Hemingway put it, “Anyone can rough it. The real outdoorsman is the fellow who knows how to be comfortable in the backcountry.” Now if only I could get some freeze-dried wine!

You made me laugh with your comment about breakfasts: I have never articulated the thought, but have definitely operated under that belief when travelling in most rural areas of this country and most recently the part you name.

I think the nuttiness also comes from the processing and portion of the hulls left behind. This tabbouleh I made? It was just a tabbouleh with all the typical tabbouleh ingredients (mints, parsley, finely diced onion, diced tomato, lemon juice, olive oil, salt and mucho pepper) and only one non-traditional ingredient, a teaspoon (per cup of wheat) of fennel seed which bloomed with the wheat under the boiling water. Very simple, and the event was a large funeral potluck at which there was a ton of food. But instead of it just being another salad people were seeking me out all afternoon--"I hear you made the tabbouleh!" For that I give all the credit to the quality of the wheat, it's just that much better.