Spelt is a hexaploid of wheat

"Spelt is a hexaploid of wheat." Delicious. photo by David Hearn

That's what I first read online when I was researching what the heck "spelt" was, having seen some packaged "Lentz Spelt Dog Treats" dangling around the "Simply The Best Organic Dried & Fresh Produce" shop at the Market.

Spelt is a hexaploid of wheat.

I've been saying it all morning, because it's catchy and sounds poetic. And for those of you legitimately interested, hexaploid means "possessing six basic sets of chromosomes;" in other words, spelt is a hybrid version of our traditional wheat, the wheat we Americans are prone to use on a daily basis.

Kiss a pig, or grab an apple; "Simply The Best," though, does not sell Snapple. photo by David Hearn

Alrighty then. And if you want dog treats made out of it -- for those who have dogs that they suspect are allergic to traditional wheat, well...come and get it! Ding ding ding ding! Simply The Best has it. The word "Lentz," in "Lentz Spelt Dog Treats," incidentally, refers to the brand name. I thought it was something else healthy, but it's just their name.

Good to know.

I got a nice little education when I was strolling around that stand. Before, I'd only known it as the place that hands me pieces of dried apple when I pass, and the place that has small bags of roasted nuts which I'll try and eat instead of the doughnuts around the way.

I would have never thought to look for dog treats. Or, for that matter, bags of powdery white Xanthan gum, which I'm understanding to be a product one can add to gluten-free flour for use as a binder.

Don't try chewing this at home, folks. photo by David Hearn

So now the gluten-free crowd, which is growing rapidly in America (and if you're having unexplainable gas, abdominal pain, bloating and diarrhea, you could be gluten-intolerant?), has a place they can go to buy good thickeners for their gravies, or replacements for the gluten in their gluten-free bread.

Simply the Best. It's right beside where the guys throw their fish up, and beside Rachel the timelessly poised pig. You can't miss it. And when they ask you if you'd like an apple, just say yes and smile.

It's a lot easier that way.