About the Grains

Here at Bluebird Grain Farms we are about nutrition. Our grains are grown in the Upper Methow Valley and irrigated with pure mountain water straight from the Pasayten Wilderness. We strive to keep our soils nutritionally balanced so that we may reap highly nutritious grains. We do this by integrating green manures and live foliar feeds within a crop rotation of grains, red clover, flax, peas and buckwheat. We time our tillage strategies and field planting for optimum seed germination and reduced weed competition. It is our belief that these combined practices are the cornerstones of “organic farming.” Living soil best propagates life.

We soil test our soils before planting and after harvest. And we tissue sample our crops during growth if anything looks out of sorts. In the very rare instance that it appears we might be pushing our soils, and things are not aligned to make a nutritious crop, we would condemn the field to the plow before bringing it to our harvest. So far, under our farm program, we’ve never had to do this.

We harvest our crops at low moisture levels and immediately store them in sealed, old style wooden granaries. We feel that grains are best kept this way so that they don’t sweat as they are prone to do in metal silos. Any moisture is absorbed by the wood and therefore mold and rot are never an issue at our facility.

What We Grow

We carefully check our grains before, during , and after we clean them.And the same when milling. Our flours are milled to order and therefore as fresh as possible direct to customer. Our goal is to deliver the highest and purest quality to our customers, while helping to preserve a healthy countryside not just for our own generation, but more importantly, for the next.

Emmer / Farro (Triticum turgidum dicoccum)
Emmer, an ancient hulled wheat, was one of the first cereals ever domesticated in the Fertile Crescent. Emmer grain, holds the characteristics of two wild wheats (including wild Einkorn) and is known to have been the primary wheat grown in Asia, Africa and Europe through the first 5000 years of recorded agriculture. It served as the standard daily ration of the Roman legions. But over the centuries, emmer was gradually abandoned in favor of hulless varieties of durum wheat. By the beginning of the 20th century, higher-yielding wheat strains had replaced emmer almost everywhere, except in parts of Europe and Ethiopia.

Emmer is known as farro or grano farro in Europe and is staging a comeback as a gourmet specialty as both a whole grain and flour. Semolina flour made from emmer is still used today for special soups and other dishes in Tuscany and Umbria, and farro is thought by some aficionados to make the best pastas and artesian breads. Emmer is a delicate long grain with an exceptional full bodied taste.

Emmer appeals to cooks hunting for new tastes and textures and nutrition. It provides a vital alternative to people who suffer from allergies to more common hybridized grains, and it supplies a different range of nutrients than other wheats, corn or rice. It ranges from 13-16% protein and digests quickly. It can be used independently as a whole grain in a pilaf, hot cereal, or the feature in a salad. It is custom milled or cracked to meet your baking and pasta needs.

Rye (Secale cereale)
Long seen as a weed in more desirable wheat crops, rye eventually gained respect for its ability to grow in areas too wet or cold for other grains. For this reason it is a traditional part of cuisine in Northern Europe and Russia. Rye was also widely grown in colonial America.

Rye is unusual among grains for the high level of fiber in its endosperm – not just in its bran. Because of this, rye products generally have a lower glycemic index than products made from wheat and most other grains, making them especially healthy for diabetics. The type of fiber in rye promotes a rapid feeling of fullness, making rye foods a good choice for people trying to lose weight.

It can be cooked whole, cracked as a cereal grain, or milled for breads. Rye and Emmer blended make a full bodied nutritious loaf of bread- reminiscent of the old world.

Hard Dark Northern Red Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Spring Soft White Wheat (Triticum aestivum)
Wheat has come to dominate the grains we eat because it contains large amounts of gluten, a stretchy protein that enables bakers to create satisfying risen breads. Bread wheat is described as "hard" or "soft" according to its protein content; as "winter" or "spring" according to when its sown; and as "red" or "white" according to color of the kernels. Hard wheat has more protein, including more gluten, and is used for bread, while soft wheat creates "cake flour" with lower protein.
Both wheats are varieties of Triticum aestivum.

Hard Red wheat has more strong-flavored tannins than milder white wheat; in this case the word "white" does not mean that the grain has been refined.

Like other grains, wheat can be utilized in many different forms besides baked goods and pasta. Cracked wheat cooks faster, allowing water to penetrate more quickly.

Both varieties of grain are custom milled to order. They are also sold as whole grains.

Flax Seed (Linum usitatissimum)
Flax is an annual herb with narrow grey-green leaves and sky-blue round flowers with blooms that open to the morning and close by afternoon. Spherical capsules containing the shiny, oval and flat seeds follow the flowers. Flaxseed has been used in the diets of humans for thousands of years. The Babylonian cultivated flaxseed as early as 3,000 B.C.

Today folks are turning to flaxseed for its many health benefits, therapeutic qualities and pleasant nutty flavor, a distinctive addition to baked products. Flaxseed provides essential nutrients, including protein, essential fatty acids, and vitamins and minerals; and it contains both soluble and insoluble dietary fibre. Add to cooked cereals and breads whole or ground.

Flaxseed is sold as a whole seed, cracked or as lightly ground flax meal.