heritage grains

With Laws recently winning the title of 'World's Best Small batch Bourbon', we thought it was a good time to talk with founder, Al Laws, to talk about the very niche yet thriving world of heritage grain whiskey.  

While heritage grain may sound high brow, for distillers like Laws, who started Laws Whiskey House in Colorado more than a decade ago, heritage is all about unique flavour profiles.  

As Laws prepares to start the year with a series of new releases, we talk to him about grains, small-scale distilling and the faith required in every step of the whiskey-making process.

So whether you're a whiskey aficionado or a curious novice, you'll be enticed by the Colorado terroir at the heart of Laws Whisky House.

Today we’re heading to Cambridgeshire to meet grower Calixta Killander who founded Flourish in 2017 which focuses on producing unusual produce for chefs. Initially a market garden Calixta’s enterprise has now grown to include fruits, vegetables, herbs, heritage grains, salads and flowers on 56 acres. Her ambition is to produce nutrient dense food and supply directly to her customers as well as create a truly regenerative farm that goes beyond most people’s expectations. Flourish was built on horsepower with Calixta’s two Comtois horses – Bill and Ben – doing all the farm’s fieldwork from ploughing to cultivating, muck spreading and weeding until 2020. They are now in retirement. But Calixta’s journey towards a life on the land did not start in eastern England but in the United States, where she spent 6 ½ years learning and honing her craft.

About Ben

Ben Eagle is the founder and Head of Podcasts at RuralPod Media, a specialist rural podcast production agency. He is also a freelance rural affairs and agricultural journalist. You can find out more at ruralpodmedia.co.uk or benjamineagle.co.uk 

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A-Plan Rural Insurance

This episode is sponsored by our primary sponsor A Plan Rural. 

Show References

Farmer to Farmer Podcast

Image credit: Callixta Killander

Timestamps

00:27 Ben introduces the show.

1:50 Calixta comes in.

2:36 How does Calixta decide what to grow?

4:25 Growing peppers and chillies.

5:20 Heritage grains.

9:59 Sponsor message for A Plan Rural Insurance.

10:44 Calixta's life growing up.

12:35 Calixta finds a university in the US.

13:54 Time in Hawaii

15:05 Why did Calixta come back to the UK? The story of the horses Bill and Ben.

17:04 Buying equipment from the Amish. 

18:20 Establishing the farm - year 1. 

20:40 Calixta turns up at restaurants. 

22:30 Working with restaurants.

23:54 Building a team.

25:26 The issue of recruitment and the labour issue. 

30:04 The workers are the most important. 

30:20 The issue of nutrient density. 

33:46 Sponsor message for A Plan Rural Insurance.

34:09 The challenge of climate and the weather.

37:29 Calixta's vision for the future. 

40:02 Calixta's message to the public.

41:17 Calixta's message to farmers. 

43:34 Shout out for the Farmer to Farmer podcast.

44:35 Ben rounds up the show. 

Wanna learn how to take some great food photography shots anywhere and how to feed yourself and others better? Then hop into this episode!

I got a chance to connect with Callie Longnecker, also known as the Medicine Maiden.  Callie is a Personal Chef, Clinical Herbalist and Nutritionist and Postpartum Doula, photographer, blogger and farmer.

There were so many great tips packed into this episode, from which lens to use and how to set up the perfect photo shoot of your morning porridge to how to take care of mommas best, and what foods and drinks to nourish them with. She also describes learning to cook in a Michelin star restaurant in Italy and lets us know how to treat our food. Hint, it’s different than we usually treat our food in this culture.

Also best description of a bite of food I have ever heard.

You will absolutely want to follow Callie on Instagram as her feed is truly droolworthy and be sure to check out her latest project- @millandflower  and if you are in Boulder or know someone here you want to delight with some flowers and baked goods, connect with her!

I also wanna give a shout out to Esoterra Farms, @esoterraculinary where they are growing amazing edible plants for the best chefs in the Boulder and Denver area that are full of unique flavors and aesthetics.  and @monathegrainlady  who works with heritage grains and making the old new again.

And a creamy bonus for Patreon supporters!

In the episode, Callie mentions her therapeutic milk tea and she is allowing me to share the recipe with my beloved patrons. You can join at

https://www.patreon.com/thymeinthestudio

And a big thanks to all of you for listening, sharing and supporting the podcast in so many ways. I feel really grateful to be able to do this work and it warms my heart when I hear from you all and see that this little project helps you.

And if you wanna connect and get a sparkly bonus delivered to your email once a month or so you can connect to my newsletter at www.thymeinthestudio.com

​

Links:

https://www.medicinemaiden.com/

https://www.instagram.com/medicinemaiden/

https://www.instagram.com/millandflower/

https://www.instagram.com/monathegrainlady/

https://www.instagram.com/esoterraculinary/

Thyme in the Studio links:

https://www.patreon.com/thymeinthestudio

https://www.instagram.com/thymeinthestudiopodcast/

https://www.instagram.com/aida.zea.arts/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/403582056803336/

www.thymeinthestudio.com

https://www.aidazea.com

Contact me: sara@aidazea.com

Music by komiku

HRN’s Kat Johnson and Hannah Fordin sat down with farmer Greg Johnsman to talk history, seed preservation, and grits at Charleston Wine + Food. Based in South Caronlina’s Sea Islands, Greg and his wife Betsy are committed to preserving and sharing the agricultural traditions of the region. With their business, Geechie Boy Mill, they’re sharing delicious grits made with heritage corn varieties that hardly any other farmers are cultivating, along with other grains and preserves. Greg talks about getting the best out of his mill, treasure hunting for heirloom seeds, and much more. 

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California produces more food than any other state in the nation. Over one-third of U.S. vegetables and two-thirds of U.S. fruits and nuts are grown in California. But drought, wildfire, and the impacts of climate change are increasing across the state. How are the farmers doing? And how are the young farmers doing? Lindsey talks with Mai Nguyen, Young Farmers' California Organizer, based in San Diego, who is also a heritage grain farmer, activist, and former climate researcher. Mai authored the 2019 California Young Farmers Report for the National Young Farmers Coalition which drops later this week.

Host Kat Johnson continues her exploration of historic Southern ingredients and traditions at Charleston Wine + Food this year with a compelling conversation about Jimmy Red Corn. Distillers Ann Marshall and Scott Blackwell of High Wire Distilling Co. weigh in on using this variety to create a bourbon unlike anything you’ve ever tasted. They journeyed through Oaxaca with Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills to trace the origins of Jimmy Red Corn, and the three share highlights of that recent trip.

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Farro is an ancient grain with an impressive pedigree clouded by tenuous designations and contradictory classifications. But at the end of the day it’s a delicious, versatile, and relatively accommodating grain.

In this episode of Fresh Pickings, host Kat Johnson sets out to clear up some of the confusion and understand this grain a little better. Did you know ancient grains are also known as heritage grains? Here at Heritage Radio Network, that word holds a lot of meaning for us. So, to talk about what Heritage means, Kat sits down Patrick Martins, founder of Heritage Food USA and Heritage Radio Network.

Then, Linda Pelaccio brings us a closer look at the storied history of farro, which dates all the way back to Ancient Romans. Linda is the host of A Taste of the Past and a culinary historian.

To see the grain in action, Kat heads into the Roberta’s kitchen with Chef Jackie Carnesi to learn how she makes her Spring Savory Porridge, a riff on a basic farro porridge recipe she changes based on the season.

For the full recipe, go to http://heritageradionetwork.org/podcast/organic-farro/