Follow-Up: Bringing Wheat Back To Our Backyard, Part II

By Jaime Lewis

A reader sends me an e-mail in the desperate tone typically reserved for prisoners-of-war: “How can I find locally-grown Sonora soft winter wheat? And will you send me your favorite bread and biscuit recipes?” I cross paths with an old friend who tells me he’s read my article and is inspired to get into local teff and millet. A phone call comes from a local commercial baker looking for a consistent source for locally-grown and milled flour. And I could go on.  Not in a million years would I have guessed that a little article on grains in the last issue of Edible SLO [http://tinyurl.com/yak7gv8] would make such an impact. “I get multiple emails a day from people asking about grains!” says local grain farmer, John DeRosier, confirming what I suspected would happen when I first tasted those dreamy local-wheat pancakes several months ago: SLO County is going downright crazy for grains.

“The CSA is growing, there’s tons of good feedback, and lots happening on the ground,” says John, whose young Paso Robles farm, “With The Grain,” is expanding its production of wheat, oats, barley, khorasan, corn, millet, spelt, quinoa, amaranth, sorghum and teff to include lentils, garbanzo beans, peas, and durum. “I’ve got a really big planting right now— there are a lot of great grains in the ground,” he tells me. “The conditions have been practically ideal this year: The temperature has been warm, and that rain was just beautiful.”

Of course, it’s impossible to talk to John without riding his tidal wave of enthusiasm for the ancient heritage of grain-growing.  “I’m trying out a few heirloom varieties of durum from Iraq, Iran and Afghanistan. Working these grains with my hands, I’m just transported. They’re the result of 10,000 years of stewardship.  When we taste them now, we’re not only tasting what our ancestors tasted, we’re tasting generations worth of their work and intention.  I believe grains are still the backbone of our world’s diet. They capture sunlight, store it and distribute it throughout society.  “Once these diverse grains are out there, there’s no going back.  People will freak out on them!” And freak out they have. John’s Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) has grown significantly in just a few short months; so much, in fact, that his deliveries (all done personally) often go on well into the night.

“I joined John’s CSA because I wanted to eat as locally as possible,” says Mary Eister, the southernmost CSA member in Arroyo Grande. “When I signed-up, I assumed that the grains would be fresher than what I’d find in the supermarket, but I wasn’t really ready for how intense and delicious the flavor in these grains would be. They’re nutty, and the texture is just unbelievable.” Mary reveals that her favorite item is John’s hulled oats. “If you want a real creamy oatmeal, this isn’t it. But if you like texture and some chew with a ton of flavor, these are your oats.” Mary can’t have known what a nerve she’d hit by mentioning oatmeal to me, as I consider myself a connoisseur. I call John to get a bag of his “truly hull-less” (read: actually a whole grain), cold-pressed, un-steamed, unprocessed oats for myself. He advises me that I will not need much water to make oatmeal, as his oats are not the little “cardboard flakes” to which I am accustomed; nor will they require much sweetener, as the grains have plenty of flavor on their own.

I cook up a batch for breakfast one morning and find myself in shock: For once, my oatmeal is gorgeously fluffy and chewy, possessing its own ancient, indescribable flavor. Despite exhortations against sweetening, I find that my standard additives of cinnamon, nutmeg, raisins, a dash of brown sugar and a drizzle of heavy cream completely throw this oatmeal over the edge into ecstasy-inducing territory. I’m reminded of Mary’s prophecy: “Once someone tries this, they will never want to go back.”

Aside from his burgeoning CSA, John has plans to secure a commercial kitchen from which he can sell value-added products like granolas, pasta and tortillas. “There are bakers and then there are those who don’t really bake. They have jobs, take their kids to soccer, and lead busy lives. They’re the ones who are missing out because they don’t have time to make fresh bread, so their only other option is packaged stuff. I want to get them some products that they and their kids would like from my grains.” I hear from Kevin at Huasna Valley Farm that a CSA program is on the agenda for his season as well: “We’ve just finished sowing wheat, two rows of malting barley, and hull-less oats that will be harvested this summer. Once the grains are harvested we’ll then be selling through a grain CSA where people can order and pay ahead of time for monthly deliveries of grains and flours over a ten-month delivery season.”

So really, there is no reason not to explore the diversity of these delicious, newly-accessible grains. What are you waiting for? If your taste buds are anything like mine, you’d better believe they will thank you.

Resources

John DeRosier, “With The Grain” Farm / 805.237.9783, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ron and Jenn Skinner, Huasna Valley Farm / 805.473.3827, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it