Local Grains: Why Bother?

Why we need to rethink our grain sources

Sourcing quality local grains is a pain in the ass. At this point in Ontario, the networks are not set up to just call a distributor and have a variety of grains delivered to one’s door or find on the supermarket shelf. There are bits and bobs around- Red Fife can be found at Whole Foods and some local grocery stores.

For our business, there are three farmers I can call and have grains delivered and between the three, it’s a pretty good spread from Ethiopian purple barley to Hard Red Spring. But still….I cannot find a good quality hard white wheat flour, find out what variety of spelt I am using (there are lots of varieties!) or have the grains milled in a consistent fashion and most don’t come with some baking clues, like moisture content or protein levels. And sometimes, crops fails and that means no more emmer for the year, or a tractor breaks down or there is a personal crisis and no deliveries. Local chains are resilient, but still fragile.

So why bother? I can call and get generic roller milled white flour that is the same from batch to batch year to year at half the cost. I can get wheat from the prairies and wheat from the states. So much choice, right? But local is the only choice. I am choosing to participate outside the commodity system, support real farms that aren’t hostages to agri-business and their investors’ demands. I am choosing regional grains grown by organic/regenerative farmers. I am choosing to make regional whole grains more accessible by forging bonds with farmers, millers and breeders.

I don’t care if the grain isn’t suitable for baguettes or croissants or large holed- hearth loaves. I will not support non-organic/commodity grains because that means supporting corporate agri-businesses that use pesticides, fungicides and other destructive inputs. That means putting farmers in debt to pay for these things that only benefit the corporations and screw over the farmer, leading them down the rabbit hole of expanding monocultures and pursuing ever diminishing efficiencies. It takes away our autonomy through centralization, commodification and lack of choice, while destroying our environment.

In this industry, we need to remember that we are all more than bakers, miller and farmers. We are activists, architects of a new economy and bringers of change. We need to honor all the work that goes into producing a vital local food. We need to listen to the grain and go beyond achieving the familiar and create our own visions and possibilities. Let’s strive towards 100% local and 100%wholegrain.  Local as way to express terroir and move away from commoditization and homogeneity. 

We are creating the building blocks for a true local grain revolution. We have a duty to use all of our facets and talents to pass this onto the next generation. If we don’t constantly push ourselves, then we are just bakers and I don’t want to be just a baker. I want to be part of the bigger picture of local wholegrains and regenerative food systems.