I've been looking in seed catalogs for sources of grains and seeds that might be useful for both the edible garden, as possible sources of homegrown feed for my chickens, and as green manures.

I was in a local one-of-a-kind store and my attention was caught by the bulk food bins, and the light bulb went on.

BULK GRAINS! BULK BEAN SEEDS! BULK HERB SEEDS!

So I bought small amounts (like a tablespoon or two) of about ten kinds that hadn't been processed (rolled, like oats, heated or hulled, etc). I sprinkled some on damp (not sopping) folded paper towels and put them inside plastic bags, with a plastic marker with the type written on it. All of the ones I tried sprouted (I didn't try all that I have found, nor did I try any of the rice yet, although brown, unprocessed rice should sprout. Wild rice, unless sold specifically for growing, has been heated, which would make it nonviable for sprouting.

A packet of seeds costs $3-4 per small pack; about a pound of grain in seed form costs $3-4 or so. And since it is for human consumption, you know that it hasn't been treated with chemicals, as some in farm stores have been. If you don't use them for sowing, you could still use them for sprouting (for salads, stir-fry and sandwiches).

There are two regular grocery stores not far from me that sell bulk grains (etc), plus a couple of health food stores. One of the grocery stores also sells a very good supply of packaged Bob's Red Mill products, which carries quite a stupendous number of grain-type products, whole and processed. They also have a website: http://www.bobsredmill.com/

Here is a list of some of the things I have found:

BEANS (avoid beans or peas that have been split)

Adzuki

Anasazi

Black

Black-eyed beans

Black Turtle

Cannellini

Cranberry Beans

Fava

Flageolet

Garbanzo (chick peas)

Great Northern

Large Limas and Green Baby Limas

Mung

Navy

Pink

Pinto

Red Kidney

Small Red

Soy Beans

GRAINS

Amaranth grain

Barley, pearl

Barley, hull-less (easy for home gardeners)

Buckwheat if you can find it whole

Lentils

Lentils, petite French green

Lentils, red

Millet (don't get hulled)

Oats are rarely found whole, and are very difficult to hull, but a couple of hull-less varieties are out there as packet seed

Pigeon peas

Quinoa (pronounced KEEN-wah)

Rye

Spelt (an ancient grain)

Teff (the smallest grain)

Triticale (cross between wheat and rye)

Wheat, hard red winter variety

Wheat, hard red spring variety

Wheat, hard white variety

Wheat, soft white variety

wheat, Kamut (pronounced ka-MOOT)

SEEDS

Breadseed poppy

Caraway

Chia

Flax, brown and golden

Popcorn

Sesame

Sunflower (be sure to choose raw in shell)

Also check your local bulk source for HERB seeds. Not all of them will grow in your climate, but it would be cheap enough to try any that interest you.

Sue