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High in protein, hard winter wheat is superior for bread making. This heirloom winter wheat was collected in 1900 from Ukraine. It does best harvested in the fall and harvested the following summer. During the winter months, it remains low growing. As the spring progresses, the seed stems become very tall and sturdy. Easy to thresh and yields heavily, even in poor soil and partial shade.

Mauri

WHEAT

CA, US

From ancient Afghanistan. This wheat was known as Cone and Rivet in England and was widely grown in Europe in the 16th and 17th centuries. Black awns. Excellent yields for me. From Steve Seaman, who believes he got it from the Kusa Seed Society.

Naked Hulless

BARLEY

CA, US

Short; plants measure 2.0-2.8' tall, erect, two-row barley that tillers vigorously. Easy to harvest and process as the outer hulls falls off easily. Given to SSE by Sylvia Davatz (VT DA S) in 2004, who got her seeds from Bountiful Gardens (CV Bou) in 2001. In their 2001 catalog, Bountiful Gardens indicates that they got their seeds from Alan Dong and described this variety as an ancient Biblical, Egyptian, and Tibetan crop which makes a fine flour, porridge, toasted meal, and can be popped. SSE Accession # 100936 VT DA S, 2004

Pacific Bluestem

WHEAT

CA, US

Hard white wheat, as described by BOU, my original source. Also described as soft to semi-hard. Spring wheat. Awnless. Hulless. Appx 31"/79 cm tall. Flavorful. Excellent for bread. Reportedly also known as "White Lammas," it was brought to the USA from Australia in the 1850s. The most popular white wheat in the US in the early 1920s. 1,336,000 acres (540,660 hectares) sown in 1919. It is the wheat that made San Francisco sourdough famous. Well adapted to California, northern Idaho, and eastern Washington and Oregon. Growing instructions: Start in flats 10 days before last frost. Transplant in cool weather so that the growing period will only have about one month of hot weather near harvest time. Transplant 5" apart when 2-3" high. Cease watering when 85% of the seed heads are golden and harvest when almost all are. Dry fully before storing. Matures: 17-19 week

Pima Club

WHEAT

CA, US

Triticum aestivum. An heirloom wheat grown by the Akimel O'odam (Pima) since the 1800s on the Gila River Reservation. Seed heads are short, squat, beardless, awnless, and club shaped. Soft white kernels, low in gluten, produce flour ideal for cakes, cookies, waffles, tortillas, and pastries. Pima Club is well-adapted to the low desert at 1200 ft elevation. It produced well in my 3000 ft elevation garden in the Sierra Nevada foothills with amended red clay too. Growing instructions: For areas with mild winter climates, Pima Club is planted and sprouts in the fall and winter, from approximately November to January and harvested in May or June before the onset of the summer rains. Plant in the spring in other areas. Organic.

Purple Karma

BARLEY

CA, US

90 days. Prefers full sun. Organic. Rare Tibetan variety, first collected in 1924 in the Himalayas, and more recently a standout in OSU’s Barley Project trials. Naturally hulless variety, easy to grow, good drought tolerance. Beautiful purple seeds turn reddish-brown after cooking. Plant in spring in colder areas, or in fall in areas with mild winters.

Purple Valley

BARLEY

CA, US

Hulless, 6-row. Less prone to falling over than 'Tibetan' or other purple hulless barleys. This variety was selected in Oregon's Willamette Valley by Pat Hayes, barley breeder at Oregon State University. Also known as 'Purple Hulless Improved'. This beautiful barley is fragrant, chewy and delicious. Add it to soup, porridge or cook up like rice. Or, grind it into a unique flour to add to your bakes. Chewier and more textured than pearled barley. Adaptive Seeds recommend lightly toasting this barley in a dry pan until it begins to pop or smell like toast, then cook just like brown rice to end up with a fairly firm texture with a delightful rich nutty flavor.

Red Fife

WHEAT

CA, US

Triticum aestivum. This is a storied wheat; much history and lore can be found about it online. Here's what Wikipedia says: Red Fife (Triticum aestivum) wheat is a Canadian landrace descendant of wheat from Galicia, Eastern Europe, its old local Galician name being “Halychanka”. It is a hard, bread wheat with straws 0.9 to 1.5 metres tall. From the mid-1800s until the early 1900s, Red Fife was the dominant variety of wheat grown in Canada and the northern United States, prized for its hardiness, rust resistance, yield, and milling & baking qualities. Red Fife was first grown in 1842 by David Fife, a farmer in Otonabee Township in Peterborough County, Upper Canada, who had been sent Halychanka seed by a friend in Scotland. Red Fife is named “red” for its colour when fully ripe and “Fife” after David Fife; however, American farmers may know this wheat as Canadian Fife, Fife, Saskatchewan Fife, or Scotch Fife.

Rivet

WHEAT

CA, US

An old wheat species with large blond grains that are used in the production of pasta. Rivet has branched heads like Vavilov and is also bearded. Black awns. Triticum turgidum. Grown primarily in temperate areas and is native to countries around the eastern Mediterranean, down to Iran and east to Xinjiang, China. It is in flower from June to July, and the seeds ripen from August to September. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist soil. The plant can tolerate strong winds, but not maritime exposure. From Prairie Garden Seeds in Canada via Steve Seaman in California, USA

White Sonoran

WHEAT

CA, US

From Slow Food USA: White Sonora Wheat is also known by the names Kno Wheat; Trigo Flor (Spanish), Flor de America, Trigo Mota or Sonora Blanca; and Olas Pilcan (Pima). It is a soft, white winter wheat adapted to the southwest coast of the USA; specifically the semi-arid climates of the Sonoran Desert in California and Arizona. White Sonoran Wheat is believed to have been brought to the Sonoran Desert by Padre Lorenzo de Cardenas between 1640 and 1650. Cardenas provided the seed to the Eudeve people, who began to propagate the wheat near the rural village of Tuape, Sonora, not far from the present-day US-Mexico border. It is planted and sprouts in the fall, from September to December, before any freezing occurs. It over-winters until spring, at which point it continues to grow and mature until it is ready for harvest in July. It is hardy, resistant to drought, cold, disease and rust. It is relatively easy to grind and ideal for using in pastry due to its low protein content.

Find a seed

Plant Group

Plant Type

Variety

Modifiers

State/Region

Bockreither

Crimean Winter

Mauri

Naked Hulless

Pacific Bluestem

Pima Club

Purple Karma

Purple Valley

Red Fife

Rivet

White Sonoran