WILLITS, Calif. — The Mendocino Grain Project and the School of Adaptive Agriculture announce Grain School: From Seed to Bread with Doug Mosel beginning in late July. Grain School will be a series of four weekend workshops covering all aspects of growing, harvesting, and processing grains – wheat, rye, barley, oats. The lead teacher will be Doug Mosel, who has been growing, cleaning and milling old varieties of wheat in Mendocino County for over ten years.
The industrialization of food production brought the end of local grain and flour – and the loss of infrastructure and knowledge for growing and processing the grain. The local food movement has brought a revival of local, small-scale grain production and a renewed appreciation of the remarkable variety and utility of locally-suited grains. Re-starting a regional grain economy involves the challenges of finding appropriate-scale equipment, varieties suited to local climate and soil conditions, and learning again the knowledge and skill of growing, cleaning and storing, milling, and baking. The Grain School aims to spread and build this knowledge and skill so that our local food systems include whole grains grown close to home.
The workshops start July 27th, in Covelo, with the harvest of this year’s winter-planted grain crop. Participants will learn how grain harvesters work, see what makes grain ready for harvest, and participate in the process. The next workshop, September 7th and 8th, will take place in the Mendocino Grain Project’s facility in Ukiah, CA, where participants will gain experience in cleaning, sorting, and storing grain. On October 19 and 20, the Mendocino Grain Project joins with Shone Farm in Forestville, CA to consider grain varieties, soil-building, planning, and planting. On November 16 and 17, again with Shone Farm, the school will focus on the versatility and nutritional qualities of whole grains as food, as participants enjoy the taste and texture of heritage grains, mill flour and cereal, and learn about the art of stone milling. Throughout the series, attention will be given to building the local grain economy, scale, and our changing climate. Attendance is limited to fifteen participants, by application. The preliminary deadline for the application is June 21st for applicants from Mendocino, Lake, Humboldt, and Sonoma counties.
To learn more go to www.adaptiveagriculture.
–Mendocino Grain Project
School of Adaptive Agriculture
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