Post-Program Notes & Thoughts by Volunteer Bob Herbert
Watch a video of the whole program (1 hour 15 minutes) below.
Everyone who attended the Conservancy’s First Tuesday in June enjoyed a beautiful evening outside with Sam Lucy from Bluebird Grain Farms. Sam and his wife Brooke started Bluebird eight years ago and their organically grown ancient grains are a feather in the cap of the Methow Valley. How many people these days in America can say that their grains are grown and milled locally and organically?
Sam grew up on a farm in New England, so when he found himself working on a ranch in Washington his interest in agriculture was revitalized. Once the decision was made to start growing grains, the next question for Sam and his wife was which grains to grow. They researched the ancient grains and they decided to plant the oldest and simplest ones they could find. They chose emmer because they could trace its lineage back 10,000 years. Wheat has been bred and hybridized over time to increase yields and as a result, its molecular structure has become increasingly more complex. This goes a long way to explain why so many people these days have problems digesting wheat and gluten (a protein in wheat). As an ancient grain, emmer has 28 chromosomes; it is high in protein, low glycemic, and high in omega-3’s and other vitamins and nutrients. Bluebird has also recently added another ancient grain called einkorn.
Sam shared some of the history of grains with us.
By the 1800’s white flour became known as rich people’s flour, and grains like emmer were considered peasant grains. Bleaching techniques were also developed over time which made white flour even whiter. As the flour got whiter however, the nutrient content diminished. Vitamin B deficiencies became common in urban areas and plagues struck as a result.
When World War II ended agriculture in the United States quickly transformed from organic and sustainable to chemical and petroleum based. Large mechanized farms began growing single hybridized crops on large parcels of land. This type of farming required chemical fertilizers and pesticides in order to grow the same crop year after year on depleted soil. Mechanized farming continued to ‘progress’ and ultimately opened the doorway to genetic engineering.
Genetically modified foods fill the shelves of every grocery store in America, so people like Sam and his wife who are dedicated to bringing top quality organically grown ancient grains are a very small minority these days. The corporatization of agriculture has put people’s health at the bottom of their concerns, and GMO’s have taken over the majority of commercial farming in the United States. Over 80% of the corn and soy grown in America is now genetically modified. Many of us were surprised to learn that no genetically modified wheat has been released in America. It's a surprise, one because we just don't know this stuff, and two, because a couple of weeks ago a farmer in Oregon found Round Up resistant wheat in his fields, meaning that wheat is genetically-modified and got there some how or another. Round Up is the most commonly used pesticide worldwide, and its parent company Monsanto is responsible for most of the genetically modified food grown in America. Sadly, Americans are the GMO guinea pigs and the legislation that recently passed will protect Monsanto from any legal action that may arise from their genetically engineered ‘Frankenfood.’
Companies like Bluebird Grain Farms that are dedicated to providing organic food and operate in a sustainable, environmentally sound manner are few and far between. We all know how lucky we are to live in the Methow valley, and companies like Bluebird are part of the matrix that makes this valley so special. The residents of the Methow send out a big thank you to Sam’s family and all the employees at Bluebird - keep up the great work!
Sam also shared some of his poetry with us throughout the evening. Here's "Rain."
Rain
By Samuel Lucy
Finally
Not just
sprinkles
A moving chorus-
Lost in heavy
fog
'Cross the
springtime valley
From shrouded melting
peaks
Hidden as if
never there.
Whisper
Cool and easy
Kiss the brittle
sage
Make sweet and
tangy
Love these hard
dry hills
Come unafraid
and curious
Tip-toeing to
this tilled soil.
Spreading
Open and clutch
This anxious
eager earth
Harrowed, sown,
waiting
Through sunrise
and moon-set
For gentle May
breezes rise up
An sing this
long spring song.
Listen
Thrushes' trill
Meadowlarks'
lullaby
A Building
patter
Dancing 'cross
dusty stone
Along tender
green aspen run
Pelting dusty
dirt
Swallowing the
land whole.
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