Why are Heritage Grains Better?

At Palouse Heritage, we primarily grow heritage grains because they offer several distinctive advantages over modern grain varieties. Modern grains have been bred by scientists to maximize yield, but this has come at the cost of soil health, environmental sustainability, nutrition, and flavor. In spite of those issues, modern varieties comprise virtually all of today’s global grain production.

So what exactly makes our heritage grains so great? Several things, but to summarize:

Incredible and distinctive flavors! Unlike modern grain varieties that comprise the flour in most baked goods today, Palouse Heritage grains have delicious and unique flavors, as attested by noted chefs across the country who have had a chance to sample our flour. Heritage grains possess higher mineral content and greater choices in taste than modern varieties. Rather than settling for the same old bland flour from the grocery store, we encourage you to step back to our historical roots and taste the colors of different wheats and barleys.

Essential health benefits: Studies have demonstrated the remarkable nutritional benefits of heritage grains over modern varieties. The significantly longer roots of heritage grains tap into important trace elements for healthy bodies that are found deeper in the soil. Check out our page specifically related to this topic here. Our heritage grains also benefit from the Palouse Country's rich and fertile terroir.

Historical and regional authenticity: Palouse Heritage only raises heritage grains that were among those originally grown by fur traders and early settlers of the Pacific Northwest and colonial America farmers. Only through our own vigorous research have we been able to discover these fascinating historical insights, prompting a growing public interest in our work. Palouse Heritage is the only source in the world with the volume and variety of grains from this part of history. For a deeper dive into the origins of grain farming in the Pacific Northwest and greater America, check out Richard’s critically-acclaimed book, Harvest Heritage.

Grown using regenerative practices for environmental restoration: Often, people who purchase local artisan flour celebrate the fact that you can "know your farmer." While this is a good thing, it is even better to understand what your farmer is actually doing in how they are raising your grain. At Palouse Colony Farm, we employ Old World sustainable and regenerative farming practices when raising our heritage grains. This includes using cover crops to naturally fertilize our soil. Furthermore, we are Non-GMO/G (No genetic modification and no glyphosate/Round-up herbicide) in our field operations. Our grain varieties are also identified as endangered by Slow Food USA and included in their “Ark of Taste” catalog to promote preservation of biodiversity and culinary distinction.

Rare but essential contribution to global food security: Unlike most modern grains, our heritage grains are open source seeds, meaning they are openly available to farmers to grow without restrictions from corporate patents that limit farmers from re-using their own seed. Our approach encourages food sovereignty and self-sufficiency for local communities across the globe. In addition, our heritage grains serve the essential role of perpetuating biological diversity in American agriculture. Small diversified farms of the past have been overtaken by industrial farming today that grows the same crop over large areas (“monocultures”), making U.S. agriculture far more vulnerable to natural or man-made biological threats. Our model attempts to reverse this dangerous trend.

If you’d like to enjoy these benefits by using our heritage grains for your baking or malting needs, please visit our online store.