Wheat for wheat bags?

[MothershipG]

I was thinking of making some of those wheat bags you put in the microwave and use like a hot water bottle.

I've found wheat on line but of course it's heavy to ship and I was wondering if there is anywhere I can buy it on the high street? Can't think where so I accept this is a bit of a long shot!

I don't know about wheat but I make mine with rice or pearl barley - both cheap and from the supermarket.

Not on the high street but I get mine from:
brow farm

I use Barley, it works just as well, several other grains do too, but barley is cheaper & much easy to get hold of.

HTH

I normally use brown rice - works well and holds fragrance nicely if you want to add (I like ginger and lemongrass)

Look for pet food type places. There's one near us where you can buy in bulk and they do wheat. They'll happily sell smaller quantities though you do get that look of "What the fuck are you buying that tiny amount of wheat for?"

Thanks guys I didn't know you could use alternate fillings, d'oh!

Is there any difference in heat retention? Or are they all much of a muchness?

All much of a muchness - if anything I think barley holds heat a little bit better

Barley it is then! Off to Tescos I go.

I'd love to know how that goes!

Kitten I've used barley for years & DD is still using the denim heat pad I made her with barely 8 years ago - I've sold them too, so I can honestly report it goes very well & also can be mixed with aroma oils too :)

Rockin How much barley do you use and how long do you heat them for? I'm just off to start sewing....

I'll try barley next time :)

Its really going to depend on how big your wheat bag is, so difficult to say accurately, but as a rough guide, DD has denim heart shaped (sore tummy) one thats about 4/5" square, but a heart shape & from memory that took about 3/4 of a 500g bag & takes about 2 min to heat up - the long strip one DD made for her GF is about 4" X 16" & took about a bag & a half & needs folding to fit in the microwave, so is more loosely packed than the heart & needs 3/4 minutes nuking.

Best thing to do, is look at the shape - does it need to be folded to fit into your microwave, if so fill loosely & if its a small one fill it as tight as you feel suits your shape - when its done, nuke it for 2 minutes - check it & nuke again for another half minute & keep going until its as hot as you need it - thats your heating time.

as for filling, buy more than you think - you'll soon get a feel for how much you use per shape & you can always use the rest for stews or salads

good luck :)

PS - the tighter they are packed, the longer they hold their heat - allowing for folding obviously

Thanks! I am just going to make squares about 8inches, so do you think about 500g should do it? I bought 2kg just to be on the safe side.

I actually love barley in a soup or stew but the kids moan if I cook it!

I'd guess they would take a bit more than a 500g bag, probably a bag & a half, maybe a bit more depending on howctightly packed - thats based based on the 4" one I mention above, but it will be suck it & see really.

& I know what you mean, I love barley too, DD hates it