“Freshly milled whole-grain flour is powerfully fragrant, redolent of hazelnuts and flowers. For the first time, I appreciated what I'd read about the etymology of the word "flour": it is the flower, or best part, of the wheat seed.” ~ Michael Pollan
Introduction
Artisanal bakers are curious and intentionally looking for that grain with a sweet and nutty flora. Regenerative wheat farmers running mills offer the artisanal baker an opportunity to participate in the movement, testing, and buying of flour products from sustainable farmers throughout the United States and Canada. Those farmers and millers are partners, boots on the ground with the craftspeople, curating. The grain growers and millers are taking the time to implement No-Till practices and committing to a 30% annual crop coverage. This practice not only manages the integrity of the land, it provides a better quality of grain to mill into flour. The craftspeople strive for the purest product possible because studies show regenerative agriculture practices are presenting a more nutrient-rich and cleaner flour.
Regenerative Agriculture and Wheat Farming
Farming is complex, and soil regeneration requires knowledge of which cover crops and composting solutions help the soil store more nitrogen storage per acre- per year. The addition of fungi, added through mulching and composting, improves soil health and nitrogen storage. Legume cover crops, like clover, are twice as efficient in storing carbon as nitrogen fertilization. More grain farmers use regenerative farming to reduce tillage retaining crop residues to improve crop health, flavor profiles, and nutrition. More often than not, these same farmers grow heirloom and/or organic field crops, reducing the use of synthetic fertilizers.
Artisanal Bakers Seeking A Diverse Group Of Organics
Most bakers seek out sustainably farmed & milled products from farmers. Bakers are working with the producers to bring heritage grains and heirlooms back to mainstream production. They seek the latitude to work with grains grown from a seed line over 100 years old. These grains have more fiber, flavor, nutrients, and vitamins. Wheat varietals date back to over 10,000 years ago, ranging in complexity and flavor. Varietals like Einkorn, Emmer Farro, and White Sonora, are used for baking rustic country french, sourdough, and others to explore which flour produces the most nutritious and flavorful loaf of hand-crafted bread.
Grain Millers & Farmers Producing Heritage and
Organically Milled Flour
Just west of Austin sits Dripping Springs, Texas, home to Barton Springs Mill. James Brown, a trained violist gone flour miller, sold his prized violas to build a mill housing two Osttiroler mills from Austria and some very talented partners to launch the business. They produce organically stone-milled flour, selling Einkorn, Spelt, and Emmer. Check their website for all bread and pastry flour offered, organically certified.
Up north, in Coventry, Connecticut, sits Still River Farm, just outside Hartford, which grows mainly Hard Red Winter Wheat—from two to twenty-nine acres annually.
The wheat is ground by Kenyon Grist Mill in Usquepaug, Rhode Island.
Somewhere at the northernmost tip of the Northeast corner of the United States, in Fort Kent, Maine. Just south of Saint Francois de Madawaska not far from Quebec City is Bouchard Family Farms. They are known for farming and milling buckwheat flour, selling it to make Ploys, a versatile flatbread or French Acadian pancake.
There are over 300 organizations involved in the movement to rebuild our regional grain sheds in the United States, moving toward a diverse set of heirloom and organic grains. They all align with the mission to grow unique varieties of grains, grown using regenerative farming methods.⧫
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