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: 46
Latest Activity: Apr 15, 2023

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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 April 15, 2023 at 2:39pm: Resilient Seeds and calories crop seed savers any updates on your volunteer needs or work party days ? Give me a call. https://www.resilientseeds.com/about-us.html

Comment by Joseph Dragon on January 5, 2015 at 6:33pm: I am organizing a seed swap in Cincinnati Ohio February 7th 2015.

I would like to purchase some bulk beans and grains to put together some seed banks for some of the people attending.

Any good suggestions on what seeds to purchase for Cincinnati zone 6 and where is a good place to purchase them by once or pound?

Comment by Heather K on January 5, 2015 at 5:46pm: -7th Annual COMMUNITY SEED SWAP & Fundraiser! Sunday January 25, 2015!-
" Growing Seeds of Nourishment & Medicine ". http://transitionwhatcom.ning.com/events/7th-annual-community-seed-...
Doors Open to Public: 2:30-5 pm.
Swap & Fundraiser by Donation.
Who Should Attend:
- Seed-savers & People Donating heirloom seeds, or edible tubers or seed-potatoes (Label your envelopes with plant strain & date).
- People without seeds welcomed- who commit to plant seeds, share their garden's abundance & learn to save seeds.

Seed Guidelines: Take only a few seeds & Swap your seeds with other - Take only seeds you plan to plant & Share harvest with community.

Become a Guardian of Organic Heirloom & Open-Pollinated Seeds by saving seeds and purchasing fresh garden seeds from local seed-saver businesses!

SWAP MISSION: " Honoring Biodiversity of Seeds for Food & Medicine!"
This is a Pure Safe-Seed Event! (GMO-free).

Volunteers & Seed-Savers arrive early for set-up before public. (setup 1pm).

Seed-Grower Donations & Sponsors being accepted Dec & Jan before swap- Contact Heather K, Jeff W, or Alicean.
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Comment by Heather K on January 27, 2014 at 3:31pm: Garbanzo pop bean! http://uprisingorganics.com/vegetables/bean-phaseolis-vulgaris-/oth...

New this year from Uprising Organics. Who is going to grow this bean locally and share.

"Cicer arietinum) "Years ago, traveling through Peru and Bolivia, we came across a new-to-us leguminous oddity: Nuñas, a bean that behaves almost like a parching corn, puffing slightly when you sauté the beans in a hot oiled skillet. They made a great snack during our walks around the Altiplano usually tossed with a chile sauce. Hannan Pop Bean is sort of a chick pea version of that developed by Carol Deppe in the Willamette Valley out of a landrace accession from the USDA seed collection. Bushy upright plants produce the mottled black and brown chick peas usually 1 or sometimes two to a pod. Selected for disease resistance, organic and dry farmed conditions, and bean size. We found them to be less prolific producers than the Kabouli, but they make a delicious snack popped and eaten out of hand salted and oiled. To pop, place the dry peas in a warmed heavy skillet and cook over medium heat, keeping them in constant motion (ala popcorn sans oil) until they burst like a parching corn. They can also be soaked and boiled like any other chick pea, or popped and then boiled to skip the soaking step. Fun and tasty! 90-95 days."

Thank you Crystine & Brian for sharing the abundance of your seeds at our 6th annual Community Seed Swap on Jan 26, 2014

Comment by Heather K on November 10, 2013 at 4:01pm: Bearded soft winter wheat 'Honey' variety has been gifted to me to share with grain seed-saver/growers. I will bring some seed to Inspiration Farm today between 5pm- 7pm.

Our 6th annual Community Seed Swap 2014 now seeking volunteers for set up & planning. Date is Sunday January 26th, 2014!

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