Home baking is more popular than ever. The combination of staying at home and collective grief seems to be the perfect recipe for busting out the cookbooks and honing your sourdough skills. Along with other staples, flour and yeast have suddenly become hot commodities and that has us thinking about where all that flour is coming from.
Did you know that Oregon farmers grow many types of grains all over the state? Not only do we produce grain for direct sale; Oregon also produces many types of grain seeds to bring diverse grains to farmers across the country. From growing to milling to baking, there are lots of opportunities to support local farms and businesses along the way. Join us for an informational evening on the ins and outs of growing grains as well as some tips on sourcing flour and achieving loaf perfection.
Our Panelists for the evening will be:
Charlene Murdock, Farmer/Owner of Foodways at Nana Cardoon in Forest Grove
Born into farming families, Charlene and her husband Richard, have devoted their lives to providing their family, friends and community with home-grown vegetables, fruits and most recently, grains! Their farm, Nana Cardoon, produces Rye and Red Fife, Harry’s Red, Triticale and Maris Widgeon wheat varieties. Additionally, wheat, barley and oat trials are ongoing. All of their bean and grain production is used for on-farm events, such as Celebrate Great Grains, as well as the Nana Cardoon home pantry. They are actively involved in developing new infrastructure for production and milling of locally grown grains.
Chris Hardy, Farmer/Owner of Hardy Seeds in Southern Oregon
Chris’ farm grows more than 60 different landrace and pre-industrial varieties of grain and has been experimenting with using no-till methods of production. He grows grains as a part of a diverse and regenerative approach to agriculture on his farm. For more than 20 years he has advocated for local farms, helped organize regional seed swaps and worked with farm to school programs to connect kids to seeds and their food. Chris is a founding board member of the Southern Oregon Seed Growers Association and is actively engaged in building a network of seed growers to strengthen diversity in the food system.
Harrison Scheib, Baker at Jackson’s Corner Bread in Bend
Jackson’s Corner Restaurant and Bakery is an avid supporter of local farmers. They started baking for their restaurant in 2014 and then in 2016 expanded to a full production bakery specializing in artisanal, naturally leavened, and fermented breads made from the best possible ingredients. Harrison will be talking about their locally sourced flours from Camas Country Mill and Rainshadow Organics and will give us some pro tips for baking with these grains.
And special guest: Susan Richman - FoFF Board President, Farmer, and local grains enthusiast!