Bluebird Grain Farms - August 2009


Bluebird News and Announcements: 
• Web Site
To enhance our communication with our customers we would appreciate your feedback about our monthly newsletters new web site! Please fill out our web site survey  and receive a 10% discount on your next Bluebird  Online Order.  Offer good through August 31st 2009.
• Harvest
In a month we hope to have all of our spring wheat crops harvested.  This year we are excited to offer a Hard White Wheat: a wonderful bread-baking grain that has a very neutral flavor and softer bran, which gives a lighter airy texture when baking.  We grew Hard White a few years back and had an enthusiastic response from bakers.   We look forward to sharing this new bounty of grain with you.
• Web Video Clip
On August 17th, a two-minute video of our farm will be posted on MSN/Kashi Guide to Healthy Living.  No, we do not sell our grains to Kashi! This is a promo they do in partnership with MSN regarding healthy living.
 

Notes From A Farmer
July panned out to be as raucous as any July I can recall here in the Methow. The 90 and 100 degree days are predictable this time of year, but the humidity of the latter part of the month was atypical indeed.  Afternoon thunderstorms were the norm with some spotty but drenching showers around the valley.  There has been a lot of lightning but so far very few local fires.  Most important for us here at Bluebird we’ve escaped—so far—any hail.  

The affect this hot weather has had on our grains really won’t be known until harvest, or even when we begin cleaning this year’s crop and take nutrient tests.  Volume-wise, the crops continue to look promising.  We’ve had good “filling out” on most all our fields and despite the heat, we were able to keep the soils irrigated when it counted most.  We expect to get harvest going by late August—earlier than most years. 

Speaking of harvest, we acquired a new combine to complement our fleet of tractors and other implements here at Bluebird!  When I say new, we’re talking a 1985 N-6 Gleaner built by Allis Charmlers.  Compared to our now retired 1973 International 453, it is a substantial upgrade.  The N-6 has a much bigger header by some 6 feet, and much more harvesting capacity overall.  It is in very good shape and even has functioning air conditioning!  The trick will be in getting our new “Grim Reaper” set right to do a good job on our emmer, which threshes quite differently than straight wheat and other more common grains.  

The overall goal, of course, is quality but also efficiency at harvest time.  The quicker we get our crop in, the less risk in the field for damage AND the sooner we can get on with fall field work which is crucial to the following spring’s crop.

So, hopefully in September’s news we’ll have a good report on harvest.  Meanwhile, I’ll share my favorite summer recipe using Bluebird Emmer:  Roll wild brook trout in cracked emmer and sear-fry in organic peanut oil in a cast iron pan.  Larkin and Mariah fight over the crisp tails!

Cheers,  

Farmer Sam

 

Summer Salads
We recently heard from Elizabeth Howland, who interned with Bluebird last summer. Elizabeth is living at the Dartmouth College Sustainable Living Center, which houses about twenty undergraduate students who share an interest in community sustainable living. Elizabeth introduced her house-mates to the wonders of Emmer, shown here in a colorful and savory salad.
You can’t do better on a hot summer night than a dinner comprised entirely of salads: fruit, veggie, greens, and grains. And with six grams of protein per serving, Emmer can make a salad into a complete meal.
Bluebird’s Emmer Caprese Salad showcases your fresh basil, while Emmer with Arugula & Goat Cheese pairs nutty whole grain flavor with crisp, spicy greens. Emmer salads are best served at room temperature, but can also be prepared in advance and chilled. Visit our recipes page for many more nutritious and delicious summer salad recipes.   A  wonderful complement to these salads is a new recipe for Rye Crackers  from Chef Robin Leventhal.  Robin picked up a package of our Rye flour at the Ballard Market Last week and was kind enough to whip up a recipe and pass  it along to us.  Now I am passing it to you in hopes that you will bake  up some  of these crisps to share with your family and  friends (don't forget to tell them where you got the flour).   Thanks Robin! 

Here’s to a bountiful harvest!

Best,
Brooke & Sam Lucy