Small Scale Grain & Beans: Grow, Process, & Save (Network)

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Sharing methods & tools used for planting, harvesting, threshing, storing, & milling. Organic & Biodynamics. Swapping heirloom or locally-appropriate seeds & resisting introduction of GMO seeds into our Salish Sea bioregion watersheds

Location: Cascadia Bioregion - Whatcom, Skagit, Island, Bellingham & beyond
Members: 48
Latest Activity: May 7

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Welcome New Members! Please listen in & enjoy reading our current discussions & comments. .For viewing all the "Discussion" click the "View All" button below.. .Remember to be placed on our private email list through Heather K or Brian. :. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purpose & Vision of Whatcom Wheat & Grain/Bean Growers

* Sharing Methods & Tools for planting, harvesting, threshing, storing, & milling..(... organics, bio-dynamics, natural farming & beyond )
* Choosing Seed Varities for purposes of human food, animal feed & soil restoration;
* Swapping our best heirloom or locally-appropriate seeds, & resisting any introduction of GMO seeds into our watersheds.
* Increasing Skills in using Hand Tools, and tools powered with sustainable energy; transitioning to become independent of oil-powered tools and oil-based fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides.
* Events posted for sharing research, methods, & tools.
* Work-Parties for harvesting, threshing & combines....
* A network group for those growing 1) Traditional Grains like wheat,
2) Gluten-Free grains like quinoa, amaranth, rice, buckwheat, maize, millet,
3) Other Grains & Seeds like oats, sorghum, barley, triticale, spelt, flax, sunflowers, and safflower, and 4) Dry Storage Legumes such as dry beans, garbanzos, soy beans, fava beans, and soup peas.
* Sharing Skills such as Horse-drawn tool Cultivators, alternative power, and hand made/blacksmith tools.
* Also focused on our unique northwest Maritime Climate & soil types

This group is facilated by Krista Rome, Heather K, and our wise farmer friends!

To view all discussion, click on the 'View All' button at end of disucssion list.

Whatcom Farmers- Consider requesting subscription to the Whatcom Farmers Google group that contains useful events from Sustainable Connection, Laura R, & others.
To suscribe call Sustainable Connections or go to website: http://sustainableconnections.org/foodfarming/forlocalproducers/index_html

Events we wish to promote can be done through the main TW "Events" tab.
(And also through Shannon Maris who sends out her focused "Garden E-News". Leave your email on her personal TW page if you wish to be on the mailing list
.(Also David MacLeod writes newsletters for both Sustainable Bellingham & TW).

(When we refer to growing 'organically', we refer to as what Farmer Walter would describe as the "feed the soil" paradigm & the research of Sir Albert Howard, Robert Rodale & many others from over the last 100 years...Not the co-optation of the word by the marketing, regulatory, & globel corporation world.... Many growers style of farming go beyond organic into a deeper form of earthcare)

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Comment by Heather K on January 11, 2013 at 3:50am: Bring your heirloom seeds & finger foods to share at our

5^th Annual Bellingham Community Seed Swap! http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/events/community-seed-swap-2013 –Sunday January 27 at The Majestic in Bellingham.

“Getting Seeds Into the Hands of the People”.

We are expecting Brian & Crystine from Uprising Seeds, plus many of our local seed-savers, including some folks from Orcas Islands

Thank you to Celt Schira who will again be offering a Basic Seed-Saving talk to welcome to seed-savers!

We will miss Krista Rome this year, as she migrates SW to warmer latitudes, but I'll be there dressed in 5 layers!

Comment by Heather K on August 28, 2012 at 2:43pm: Local farmer & engineer Celt has purchased a 100yr old Clipper fanning mill, useful for cleaning grain & seed crops. http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/profiles/blogs/celts-garden-whats...

On Monday morning Celt, Brian & I met at Inspiration Farm to continue the renovation of this small-farm winnowing machine, that acts as an intermediate appropriate technology for use after the threshing process of separating the grain from the straw. http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/events/clipper-rehabilitation?xg_...

Another day will be scheduled to continue renovation of the community grain & seed resource.

If you have metal or wood-working skills to offer in this effort, please leave Celt a message and she can let you know the next time we meet at Inspiration Farm. http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/profile/CeltMSchira

To receive emails of Farmer Celt's future blogs, click a 'follow' link on her blog page at- http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/profiles/blog/list?user=0a99ghcin...

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Farmers will have space at our Sat Sept 22^nd 2012 Whatcom Skillshare Faire to demonstrate a skill or bring seeds to share or process. We hope you can come and join both Farmer Brian of Inspiration Farm, and Farmer Krista of the Grain & Seed Project, who will both share their knowledge and bring seeds to trade. Discussion page at- http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/forum/topics/re-skilling-fair-1?x... Event page at- http://whatcomskillsharefaire.org/

Comment by Heather K on May 28, 2012 at 12:40pm: Whatcom SkillShare Faire – weekend of September 22^nd. What will inspire farmers to attend? Anyone want to create a Threshing party during the event?    Create a discussion page on our group, or go to Toms at: http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/forum/topics/re-skilling-fair-1?x... (camping for volunteers & presentors).

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Small Grain Field Day – June 28^th 3pm-6pm, in Mt. Vernon. Free. Hosted by WA State U, Ag Extension. . Poster at http://mtvernon.wsu.edu/Events/2012-SG-Field-Day-Flyer.pdf

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Last week Krista, Chris, & Chris of River Haven hosted a Rolving Garden Work-Party ! After we all planted beans, they fed us to the best home-cooked & home-grown meal of beans, sauerkraut, salad, and green tortillas! Krista has the best looking wooden tortilla maker! They are creating a wonderful demonstration farm homestead!

Comment by Krista Rome on December 19, 2011 at 4:08pm: Did everyone get word that my new book is hot off the press? If you want a copy of "Growing Dry Beans & Grains in the Pacific Northwest: a Step-By-Step Guide to Producing Your Own Staple Foods", let me know. There is a hard copy ($20 +tax) and digital copy ($10) option. It's self-published, only about 25 pages long but jam-packed with locally appropriate info. Spiral bound for ease of use as a reference. Seeds are ready for the 2012 season as well. Just check out the list on my website: www.backyardbeansandgrains.com. Cheers.

Comment by Krista Rome on September 19, 2011 at 10:59am: Hey All! Please come to our Threshing Party and Equinox Harvest Potluck on Sunday Sept 25. Bean & Grain Threshing party is roughly from 2-5:30 and the potluck to follow, around 6ish. Check the Events Page for details

Comment by Krista Rome on July 29, 2011 at 9:05pm: A

And just in case Celt and I do it differently, you can see my masa/tortilla-making instructions in my latest blog entry at www.backyardbeansandgrains.com. Well, Celt, the rounder the ball you start with the rounder the tortilla you press. Haha. Kate, I wish I knew where you could get a wooden press like mine, which I got at a garage sale for $6. The grinder is Estrella brand, about $50 and I found it at the Mexican grocery on the highway heading east to Everson. I bet other Mexican groceries have them as well.

Terese: I don't know about a good cover crop for the wet. I think both rye and favas tolerate damp soils better than most, but not even them will do well if it is too wet for too long, especially while it is really cold.

Comment by Celt M. Schira on July 27, 2011 at 9:11pm: Krista, Awesome tortillas! Very nice and round. That wooden press really works well. I have a heavy metal Mexican one, and it works well, but creates less uniform tortillas. Probably, it's all about practice. For anyone interested in how to make corn tortillas, the procedure is detailed at Celt's Garden - Corn Tortillas and Skagit River Produce. The smell of fresh tortillas will make friends, even if they are passersby on the sidewalk lingering to smell.

Comment by Terese VanAssche on July 27, 2011 at 4:40pm: Wow Krista,

Your tortillas are beautiful. I think I have some of the Mandan Bride corn seed from the last seed swap at Inspiration Farm. Next raised bed in Fern Hollow front yard is going to be corn, barley, flax and tricicale from Walter.

The big garden in the back does not drain well so thinking about what will be good cover crop this winter over the larger bed? I have mustard and a number of other ideas for cover. Suggestions?

Also I bought a great tortilla press from Monterrey "Pagoel" metal and the plates are heavy so it does a good job. Found it at a thrift store somewhere and paid less than $10 for it. Haven't sat down and made 70 at one sitting ever, but this could do the job. While in Michigan in June bougt a great grain grinder at a community thrift store near Detroit, and it rocks! A Rival Grind-O-Mat and has interchangeable plates for nuts, grains, and food chopping, all for $4.95!

One of these days I would love to see your trial grain and cover crop beds, to gain some ideas for Fern Hollow beds. :)

Comment by Kate Johnson Kiefer on July 27, 2011 at 2:26pm: WOW! Look at those lovely tortillas. Awesome!

You've got me inspired now - where did you find the press and the grinder, exactly? That grinder looks beautiful and really sturdy...

Comment by Krista Rome on July 27, 2011 at 2:14pm: I spent a couple hours this morning on a big batch of tortillas. I got about 70 tortillas from 8 cups of my dent corn (I'm working on my supply of Mandan Bride at the moment). Here's the gear: my brand-new Estrella masa grinder (about $50 from a local Mexican grocery store), and good quality wooden tortilla press (the cheap plastic ones break easily. I broke my mom's on the first tortilla I pressed for her. Oops). You'll need cast iron pans for frying up the tortillas.