Harvest Day

Gathering my first experimental crop of ancient grain

Wheat harvest day! This was a momentous and long waited for occasion for me though I lost most of my harvest due to unexpected “rodents of unusual size”. Apparently they climbed up the stalks and pulled the heads down and devoured 3/4 of what I planted.

Although I did feel disappointment to find so much of my first crop gone, I returned to gratitude pretty quickly at the thrill of meeting Tumminia, alive and personified, radiating incredibly good vibes right in front of me.

I’ve been waiting with baited to see how it would turn out and though I’ve experienced the pebble smooth, silky feeling of dried and stored wheat berries and the meadow sweet aroma of fresh milled flour, never in all my life have I stood face to face with fresh, alive, roots still in the ground, ancient, real, wheat. And not just any old wheat but the exact ancient grain of my very own ancestors.

My spirit seemed to know it like an old friend and my mind marveled at its beauty and it’s newness to all my senses. It’s been an incredible journey to eat more and more of the foods my body was made to eat, the very meals that kept my family alive for ages, this being the most incredible of all.

Lately I’m getting even closer to the original sources with my Sicilian sourdough “madre” starter which I use for all of my home baked breads, with exclusively heirloom wheats.

Lately it’s been fresh milled emmer of the Romans and durum wheat for fresh milled, whole grain, hand made pasta. This grain now, still alive in the ground as of this afternoon is the oldest, untampered with, most original seed yet. Therefore- I love it like a part of myself.

Take care of your local seed banks! Find them! Protect them! Know who they are, visit their sites and stores and read their luscious, heirloom seed catalogs while you’re pooping. They hold the keys to our best future yet!

Next step is threshing. That’s tomorrow’s work.

#ancientgrains #heirloomwheat #harvestday #tumminia #seedbank