What are Wheat Berries and How Do I Cook Them??

OK last post today, I promise.  I posted all of those recipes for the wheat berries with the instruction for making wheat berries and then thought to myself - "self, do you have any idea what you are talking about?"  so I googled wheat, berries, over and over.  Here's what I learned

1. Wheat berries are wheat grains, you soak, steam, boil them to prepare them and they get softer.  (Very familiar to us Mormons who commonly store wheat, so I don't think we need instructions on where to find them in health food stores - just go to your local case lot sale and you can pick some up.)

2. They are a whole grain so they are healthy - duh! 
               from nutritionist Leslie Beck

• Wheat berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels that contain all three parts of the grain, including the germ, bran and starchy endosperm.  Only the hull, the inedible outer layer of the grain, has been removed. As a result, wheat berries retain all of the grain's vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.  All wheat products are made from wheat berries, including white and whole-wheat flour.
• Wheat berries, like all whole grains, get the nod for their exceptional nutrient profile.  They're high in fibre, low in calories and packed with vitamins and minerals.  A half-cup (125 ml) serving of cooked wheat berries is a great source of manganese, selenium, phosphorus and magnesium.  Wheat berries also contain lignans, phytochemicals thought to guard against breast and prostate cancers.
  Whole grains are the corner stone of a healthy diet.  Canada's Food Guide recommends that half of the grain products you eat everyday be whole grain.  
  Wheat berries contain gluten, so they're not suitable for people with celiac disease.

3. Cooking instructions For stovetop cooking first rinse berries, then bring 2 ½ cups of water to a boil for every 1 cup of raw wheat berries.   Add wheat berries to boiling water, and stir until water returns to a boil.  Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until wheat berries are tender.  Remove from heat, drain off any excess water and fluff.  1 cup of raw wheat berries will yield 2 ½ cups cooked wheat berries. **update 4/16 - when I made them it was 1 cup wheat berries = 2 cups wheat berries, so it must depend a bit on how long or maybe the time of wheat???

usu extension suggested other ways of cooking:

In a pot with a fairly tight lid, combine 3 cups of water, and 1 cup of wheat. Bring to a boil. Allow to simmer ½ hour. Turn off the heat and allow the wheat to stand 8-12 hours. Drain any remaining liquid. Use or store in refrigerator, tightly covered, for no more than one week.

Thermos cooked: Put wheat and 2½ cups boiling water in a quart-sized thermos. Screw the top lightly and leave until morning.

Slow cooker method: Simmer ingredients on high for approximately 2-3 hours. Turn off the slow cooker and let it sit overnight untouched.