On Wednesday, Mar 2, 2005, at 08:29 Asia/Tokyo, Eva Hedin wrote:

> Yes, I couldn't have said it better myself. I'd like to add that those
> seeds
> of paleo times did not stay on the straw like todays wheat kernels so
> we
> would have to lie there with our noses poked into the ground to find
> those
> little things - to the enjoyment of lions and other predators. The
> reason I
> asked the question above is that often it seems on this list that
> grains are
> not seeds and that we can eat seeds but not grains. Bah!
>
> So my question to those who say that we can eat seeds is still: What
> kind of
> seeds are they talking about and in what quantity?
> Eva

Actually, harvesting grain by hand is pretty easy. You just grasp the
stalk below the seed head and then slide your hand up, using your thumb
to strip off the grain. The seeds peel off into your palm quite neatly.
Threshing away the outer husk is easy too, just roll them between your
hands and the husks peel off. I think in the middle east where wheat is
native they probably ate wheat quite a bit during the late summer. It
is so easy. The difference is that they only ate them for short periods
each year, and probably not all that much even then.