table talk / By Simona Carini

Here Come the Grains

To obtain flour from grains, some processing is needed, which brings me to my next question for Kevin: “Where will you mill the grains?” That will be done on-site (i.e., in the barn) using another piece of equipment he is currently shopping for: a stone mill, which will probably come from South Carolina, where the required type of stone (quartz) is quarried. The mill will allow production of cracked grains and finer ground flours. The book that is my current guide to bread-baking (Local Breads by Daniel Leader) explains, in reference to wheat flour, that “stone grinding, in contrast to commercial milling, removes less of the oily, vitamin-rich germ.” Thus stone-ground flours are tastier and more nutritious.

Kevin’s enthusiasm finds an easy terrain in my own excitement about possibilities: the sorcerer apprentice’s itch for exploring new ingredients in new recipes that lead to thrilling kitchen adventures. The early afternoon light filters into the barn. It illuminates, and at the same time shadows, the red tractor, the orange combine and a set of light blue barrels that will soon become storage containers for grains. We end our conversation with talk of farming practices. Kevin does not use synthetic fertilizers or pesticides and applies principles of sustainable agriculture (crop rotation, cover crops, TLC) to the land he is farming.

Leaving the cool shade of the barn, I try not to get blinded by the bright light of a crystal clear spring day. I finally bring into focus an image I have been chasing since the moment I first introduced myself. I realize I have met Kevin many times before, at the Arcata Farmers’ Market, behind Paul Giuntoli’s Warren Creek Farms table. His background in farming also includes time spent managing the vegetable CSA of the College of the Redwoods Sustainable Agriculture Farm in Shively and of the Arcata Educational Farm.

Is he planning on selling at the coming Farmers’ Market? Kevin answers affirmatively. So, if you have more questions about the Shakefork Community Farm and its Grain Share Program, you will be able to pose them directly to him on Saturday morning on the Arcata Plaza. (This year’s market season begins this weekend.) As for me, I will buy some of the barley he has left from last year’s crop — I got a glimpse of it in one of the barrels in the barn — and see if I can develop tasty recipes to use it. Come August, I’ll be ready to mix, bake, slow cook and otherwise experiment using locally grown grains. Needless to say, I can’t wait.

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