Flourish Grains is a partnership with Heron Holmes.
We grow our wheat in rotation with our produce. The varieties that we have chosen are well suited to our organic system. Their taller, large leaved growth habit helps to shade out weeds and their strong root systems are adapted to seek out nitrogen and other minerals from the soil, with help from soil mycorrhizal fungi rather than relying on fertilizers.
The flour from these wheats is much more flavourful than other commercially grown varieties. We are experimenting with some trials of some more unusual varieties, so watch this space for future plantings that will be even more diverse!
Which grains do we grow?
Maris Widgeon-
Sweet, malty, nutty. A bread quality wheat from the 1960s, bred in Cambridge. Excellent flavour in biscuits and sweet pie crusts, as well as soft, wholemeal bread loaves.
April Bearded-
A beautiful tall awned spring wheat. An old population wheat popular in the 18-1900s, with a mix of soft, creamy starchy grains and gem like, crystalline grains with an all round reliably good protein content for extensible bread or pizza dough.
Rye-
This is a tall and beautiful awned crop that is very competitive against weeds, and is able to seek out its own nutrition very effectively from the soil. It grows an extensive root system which establishes connections with soil mycorrhizae very well. As well as doing all of this for us in the crop rotation it produces a versatile and creamy flour that is not only for 100% rye loaves but to be added to make very active sourdoughs and depth of flavour to wheat loaves. So a win-win crop!
YQ Population Wheat-
YQ (an abbreviation for Yield, Quality) is a diverse population wheat developed at Wakelyns Agroforestry. We grow this as it is the exact opposite of a monoculture. Instead of the crop being made up of genetically identical individual plants, YQ has a complete cocktail of different individuals and families with different genes and traits growing alongside each other in the same field. The idea being as farmers we always have a reliable yield and quality produced each season no matter what the increasingly unpredictable weather and microclimate throw at our crop as there is more diversity and therefore more chance of success. This is also an exciting idea for bakers and bread eaters, as the harvested grain will have a distinct seasonality and terroir that will develop into the unique Flourish taste of YQ as we continue to save seed, grow year on year and the YQ adapts to our soil and situation.
Our Flour
We are proud to offer only 100% wholemeal flour. We feel that keeping the entire grain in the flour, rather than removing the bran, is right for us to pass on the full farmed product we've worked hard to bring in, with the maximum amount of flavour and nutrients. Of course it is up to you to use in wholemeal recipes or blend with other flours in loaves and pastries.
We are thrilled to be using the mill at Duchess Farms just down the road, to turn our wheat into flour.
How to order?
Rye and April Bearded flours are currently available in our Farm Shop. If you are interested in whole grains, or buying a 16 kg flour catering pack, a retail pack of 12 x 1.5 kg bagged flour, or 1.5 kg flour for home baking, please get in touch. All feedback and tasting notes much appreciated!