Chodosh starting dates and asking for advice regarding a potential problem

[Y. Herman]

*CHODOSH BULLETIN-3 AUG 10*

*From the Guide to Chodosh-Y. Herman*

*Chodosh telephone Hot Line 718-305-5133, email **yherman at yahoo.com* 
<mailto:yherman at yahoo.com>

*/REVISED ESTIMATES OF CHODOSH STARTING DATES/*

On each Monday I get the weekly reports of the crop progress from the U. 
S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). According to the most recent 
report, as of Sunday Aug 1the harvest of spring wheat and oats HAS 
begun. There was still no reported harvest of barley. My semifinal 
estimates for Chodosh starting dates are as follows:

Oats-Packing date=Jul 26, purchase date=Aug 9

Wheat (not pasta) Packing date=Aug 9, purchase date=Aug 24

Noodles and Pasta packing date=Aug 16, purchase date=Sept 1

Barley (not malt) packing date=Aug 16, purchase date=Sept 1

Barley malt packing date=Dec 15

Freshly-baked bakery products- Aug 9 in the Midwest, Aug 16 elsewhere.

Note that the _purchase_ date refers to the last recommended date for 
buying packaged foods without the need for checking for a hechsher 
(where applicable) or without looking at dating codes.

Sample Chodosh codes for some oats products:

Cheerios and Nature Valley Granola bars: Aug 2 2011

Quaker Oats (hot cereal that you cook, instant or others that you cook): 
Jan 17 2012

CAN YOU SUGGEST ANY ADVICE FOR A POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH YOSHON BAKERY 
FLOUR SUPPLIES?

In the USA there are four primary ways of supplying Yoshon flour to 
bakeries, pizza shops and other large-scale bakery producers:

(1) /Store Yoshon flour from before the Chodosh becomes available (about 
now, see above)/

(2) /Produce the flour in mills that are certified by mashgichim to 
receive Chodosh flour only later in the season/

(3) /Store Yoshon wheat kernels and mill freshly as needed each week/

(4) /Use bakery flour milled weekly from winter wheat to which is added 
small amounts of stored spring wheat plus vital wheat gluten. (This 
flour is produced by ConAgra in Denver, using a mill that never gets 
Chodosh wheat.)/

Of these method (4) is readily available but produces the lowest protein 
bakery flour, not very suitable for pizza shops and for some bakeries. 
Method (2) is available only for a limited time into the Chodosh season. 
Methods (1) and (3) are able to produce the high-protein flour demanded 
by pizza shops and many bakeries. However, these are now in jeopardy due 
to the gyrations of the wheat commodity markets.

Over the last few years, the price of wheat has gone up and down 
significantly. As a result, several flour mills that used to mill Yoshon 
flour and store it (method 1) refuse to continue because they stand to 
lose too much money if they put aside the Yoshon when the price of wheat 
is high (as is often the case right before the Chodosh harvest starts) 
and then nobody is willing to pay the high price later in the season if 
the price of wheat goes down significantly. Similarly, the mill that 
used to put away Yoshon wheat kernels (method 3) will not do so unless 
the flour distributors who use that arrangement pay for this in advance 
at the current high price. The distributors claim that they, too, cannot 
afford to gamble. They can't pay for the Yoshon old wheat at the current 
high prices if the individual bakers and other users of Yoshon flour 
will refuse to pay the high price later in the season, when the wheat 
price may go down. (It may also go up, but they cannot afford to take a 
chance.)

Unless somebody can suggest any advice for this impasse, we stand to 
lose major options for Yoshon flour this coming season. This would 
primarily affect local pizza and bagel stores and some local bakeries.

I am never involved in any of these types of business arrangements. My 
only interest is to encourage the maximum availability of Yoshon 
products for the public. When I was made aware of this problem, I 
decided to ask for any suggestions that may occur to those who receive 
these email bulletins. Any suggestions you may have I could pass on the 
distributors who actually supply the Yoshon flours. Please send you 
ideas to me by email as soon as possible. DO NOT SEND IT TO THE RETURN 
ADDRESS OF THIS BULLETIN. THOSE RESPONSES WOULD BE COMPLETELY LOST. 
INSTEAD EMAIL YOUR RESPONSES TO: yherman at yahoo.com 
<mailto:yherman at yahoo.com>.

Thank you

Yoseph Herman


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