Volunteer at the Co-Op!
In 2008, Carla and Rodolfo teamed up with an organic farmer just a few minutes from their home in Northern Italy, to grow the first 50 acres of einkorn wheat. Einkorn was new to them and farmer Stefano, and they were both worried and delighted to see how differently it grew. Einkorn yields a fifth of modern wheat and reaches above 5 feet tall by the harvest in late July. Carla took the first einkorn seeds to an experienced miller who thought they were too small to contain much flour, but he was wrong. Rodolfo slowly brought on board new farmers in different regions because it was too risky to grow such a rare grain in the same area, especially with changing weather patterns. Each of the initial years was a learning experience, but through trial and error they determined how many seeds to plant per acre and the right timing for planting and harvest.