Fwd: Restoring Heritage Wheat
Sarah Bellos
heritage wheat.
The Heritage Wheat Conservancy, a seed-saving network, addresses a
concern shared by
organic farmers, artisan bakers and people who like to eat delicious
food, a concern that
spans New England to encompass global food and farming issues:
world heritage wheats, many that date back to biblical time, are
almost lost to the world.
The Heritage Wheat Conservancy invites farmers, home and
school-gardeners to restore our community seed system of heritage
wheats, by growing-out heritage wheats and sharing them through local
seed-exchanges. Seed is available on: growseed.org/seed.html. Proceeds
support the Heritage Wheat Conservancy in-situ conservation farms.
Varieties with special meaning to
New Englanders are available for community seed-savers, that include:
Red Lammas, first wheat grown in colonial America, brought by British settlers,
Maine Banner (Crimean) - delicious, winter-hardy heritage wheat, and
Vermont Heritage Wheats, bred by Cyrus Pringle in the 1800s .
The wheat grown in North America originated in the Fertile Crescent
spanning the Mideast to Old Europe. Wheats whisper the journeys of the
peoples who carried them, the trading, migrations and conquests that
are kneaded into our breads. When peoples immigrated to the New World,
they brought landrace wheats from their homelands. These are the
wheats that nourished earlier peoples, but today have almost
disappeared from the face of the earth.
Biodiversity is at the heart of a robust community food system. More
and more people are seeking the rich flavor and nutrition of heirloom
wheats and vegetables. However, today's commercial wheats, such as AC
Barrie or Maxine, are patented seeds owned by goliath seed companies,
bred in agrochemical-soaked fields for high yield and uniformity.
Nutrition is not a criterion. Flavor is forgotten. Almost all
commercial wheats are patented to prevent farmers from saving them,
and they are replacing heritage wheats even in remote villages
world-wide.
Most heritage wheats are more delicious and higher in nutrition but
are on the verge of extinction. Heritage wheats are taller, compete
naturally with weeds (no herbicides needed) and have extensive root
systems to absorb natural fertility and for greater photosynthetic
activity. Heritage wheats have higher protein and micronutrients than
modern wheat, and are richer in flavor and nutrition - the very
qualities bred out of modern wheats. Ancient wheats, such as einkorn,
are safe for gluten-sensitive folks. Emmer is so high nutrition and
digestible, it is recommended through the ages for infants and the
elderly. Artisan bakers seek heritage wheats for delicious taste. But
where are the heritage wheat seeds?
Let us liberate seed from the control of the multi-national seed companies.
Join generations of farmers that saved their own seeds.
Abundant Harvest to All!!
Eli Rogosa
Heritage Wheat Conservancy
207 872 9093
grow...@yahoo.com
Part-funded by NESARE
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