Wheat

"When I slurp a bowl of somen noodles it becomes a summer breeze." I am at the Granada Market, the neighborhood mom-and-pop grocery in West Los Angeles where I get my Japanese staples. The fish counter looks cheerful with roses and dahlias from the owner's garden in empty milk bottles. A samurai saga is playing on satellite television. The volume is a tad too high, but I don't complain because it's part of the funky atmosphere here that has comforted me for more than 20 years.

The spores arrived from Kenya on dried, infected leaves ensconced in layers of envelopes. Working inside a bio-secure greenhouse outfitted with motion detectors and surveillance cameras, government scientists at the Cereal Disease Laboratory in St. Paul, Minn., suspended the fungal spores in a light mineral oil and sprayed them onto thousands of healthy wheat plants. After two weeks, the stalks were covered with deadly reddish blisters characteristic of the scourge known as Ug99.

Take one child. Administer sugar. What happens? Apparently one side effect isn't paying better attention. Cereal giant Kellogg Co. has agreed to settle federal claims that the Grand Rapids, Mich., company falsely advertised the benefits of eating Frosted Mini-Wheats, including that children who ate the cereal got a 20% boost in attentiveness compared with children who skipped breakfast. The Federal Trade Commission decided the claims were a stretch.

This business of flavoring beer with fruit, which started with the Belgian cherry and peach lambics, has the potential to go too far. Sooner or later, some American brewer (face it, it'll be a Californian) is bound to produce a kiwi-mango beer that will embarrass us all. Citrus, however, has a true affinity for wheat beers, which need to make up for their lack of barley roundness, and a dash of lemon syrup is traditional with Berliner weisse.

With the global economic crisis already producing unrest in rural areas, Chinese authorities have taken emergency action in wheat-growing regions that are suffering from their worst drought in 50 years. The three northern provinces that account for more than half the country's wheat production have seen winter rainfall levels as much as 80% lower than normal, the National Meteorological Center reported.

  Total time : 3 1/4 hours, including 2 1/4 hours rising time Servings: Makes 2 (14-inch) oval flatbreads, about 16 slices Note: For caramelized onions, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 large thinly sliced yellow onion and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring often, until the onion slices are deep golden brown. This flatbread is also delicious when it's a few days old; simply toast it in a hot oven before serving.

  Total time: 1 hour Servings: Makes about 4 dozen crackers Note: Adapted from "Whole Grain Breads: New Techniques, Extraordinary Flavor" by Peter Reinhart. For sweeter crackers, eliminate the egg wash and sea salt, and instead lightly brush the crackers with equal parts honey (or agave syrup) and water. Continue to bake as described. The crackers can also be baked plain. 3/4 teaspoon sea salt (or 1 teaspoon kosher salt) 1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour, plus extra as needed 1/2 cup whole or low-fat milk (you can also substitute soy or rice milk as well as buttermilk)

I'M READY to start a home-baked cracker revolution to match the bread revolution of the last 15 years. I've spent nearly two decades trying to convince folks to bake their own bread and, most recently, asked the nearly impossible: make 100% whole grain breads at home. It's been a noble, uphill battle. But I've encountered far less resistance in urging people to make their own whole grain crackers -- toasty, nutty, crisp, crackly crackers. Why the receptivity?

U.S. food prices will rise 5% this year, propelled by the sharply higher cost of bread, cookies and other bakery products, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Monday. That represents the largest increase since 1990. It would be the second year in a row of high food-price inflation, with an additional year or two of large increases expected. Until 2007, food prices tended to rise more slowly than the overall U.S. inflation rate.

Corona-based Food For Life Baking Co. is recalling 2,241 cases of spelt bread because the product contains undisclosed wheat, which could cause a severe or life-threatening reaction in people who have wheat allergies. No illnesses have been reported, the company said. The recalled products, with the UPC code 07347200168, include Wheat Alternative Spelt Bread and Fruit Juice Sweetened Spelt Bread. The cases were sold nationwide through health food distributors and natural food stores. For more information, consumers can call (800)