ABC Rural / By Cara Jeffery and David Claughton 2021
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THIS ARTICLE FROM THE ABC 2 YRS AGO PRESERVED HERE ON OURS AUSTRALIA BECAUSE I DISCOVERED THIS COUPLE'S STORY ON THEIR WEBSITE A YEAR AGO AND BELIEVE IN WHAT THEY ARE DOING - GROWING THE ANCIENT GRAINS SPELT and KHORASAN, THAT ARE MUCH HEALTHIER THAN MODERN WHEAT, AND TASTY TOO. VERY NUTRITIOUS.
Riverina organic grain-grower Bettina Walker has gone back in time to secure the future of an ancient grain variety.
The southern New South Wales grower bartered her rye grain for some hard-to-come-by Khorasan wheat seed to grow on her farm at Barellan in Southern NSW.
Ancient grains are a rarity on Riverina farms, where modern varieties of wheat, canola and barley dominate paddocks.
This season Mrs Walker and her husband, Robert, were growing two ancient grain varieties — Khorasan wheat and spelt — alongside a mix of traditional rye, oats and modern wheat.
A different-looking grain
But it was the addition of Khorasan wheat that was a standout.
"We've always liked heritage grains, and it's very hard to get them," Mrs Walker said.
"We traded some of our rye grain for some Khorasan seed last year, which we were very lucky to get," she said.
"We trialled growing just 20 acres and, after its success, we are growing a lot more this year," Mrs Walker said.
The Walkers found Khorasan wheat looked more unusual at harvest time when compared to modern wheat.
"It has a very long head on it and it has whiskers that we had to wait for the whiskers to turn black before we could harvest the grain," Mrs Walker said.
"The yield was better than spelt, but not as good as a modern wheat.
"It was still a good crop to grow, and competed very well with the weeds."
Mrs Walker said Khorasan wheat did not require any special care and was planted and harvested at the same time as their other crops.
Everything done on farm
The couple has been running their certified organic farm, Whispering Pines, for 18 years and retain all the grain they grow for processing in their on-farm mill.
"Once we harvest the Khorasan wheat, we put it in our silos and then it has to go through a water bath and have a hydration of least least 90 per cent before it can be milled," Mrs Walker said.
Mrs Walker said Khorasan wheat was a much larger grain than modern wheat and was also a hard grain — similar in appearance to brown rice.
"We have to leave it for another 24 hours after it's been hydrated and then it's is soft enough for us to mill it into flour," she said.
The Walkers sell their flour and oats direct to customers online and through distributors in Melbourne and Sydney.
"The demand has been good because people are wanting heritage grains because they have not been touched by humans and [genetically modified organisms]," Mrs Walker said.
"We also find heritage grains produce a better-quality flour than what modern wheat does," she said.
So far, Mrs Walker's own experience baking with Khorasan wheat has been positive.
"We produce a white Khorasan and a wholemeal Khorasan flour and, when I cooked with it, it was really bright yellow," she said.
"All I've been able to make with it is pancakes as we have been so busy, [but] the taste was phenomenal."
Mrs Walker said she believed there was a future for more farmers to grow ancient grains.
"I know a lot of people grow modern varieties of wheat and barley, but I think it helps your business if you step outside the square and do something totally different that no one else is doing," she said.
Ancient grain on shelves
There are some easy ways to taste ancient grains.
There are well-known bakeries in Sydney making bread from ancient grains, including Sonoma, the Brasserie and Bourke Street Bakery and, in Newcastle, Bill's Organic Certified Bakery.
Bill Roberts — a former draftsman, who started a bread shop 40 years ago — went into ancient grains and sourdough because customers wanted something healthier.
His wife, Lyn, runs the bakery's office and says that Khorasan wheat is generally recognised as being better for gut health,.
Their company is "proudly organic" now employs 16 people and has been supplying Coles and Woolworths for more than a decade.
"No pesticides, no preservatives, none of the nasties," Mrs Roberts said.
The bakery sells about 16,000 loaves of spelt and ancient grains bread a week and buys its flour from Wholegrain Milling in Gunnedah, an outfit that is certified organic and specialises in ancient grains.
Article Source HERE
AND JUST TO THINK, NOW WE CAN MAKE OUR OWN SPELT BREAD OR KHORASAN BREAD
WITH YEAST, SOURDOUGH OR BAKING POWDER (No-Knead) IN A DUTCH OVEN IF YOU LIKE,
AT A REASONABLE PRICE. REAL BREAD - TASTY BREAD - NUTRITIOUS BREAD. GOOD AYE?
I will give you their Website Link where you can buy direct Online from them.
They also sell Heritage Wheat Grain, that is much Healthier than Modern Wheat.
I will have an Article from Growers in the USA on the Heritage Wheat Grain in
my Blog soon from someone who used to get sick on Modern Wheat products
and has no more problems with the Heritage Wheat we can also purchase from
Bettina and Robert here in Australia.