The Wheat Harvest

Harvesting the Sonora wheat


Whole wheat bread


Biscotti made with Sonora wheat



Hi Winnie and Steve,

I told you there would eventually be news about the wheat harvest -- well, that time has come. The Sonora wheat is being harvested this week. Only another day or two of cutting is required. Compared to large agribusiness our yield is quite small, but it is very satisfying to know that 6,000 lbs. of Sonora wheat is stacked in the barn. The old 1950's Allis Chalmers combine which belongs to Pie Ranch needed repairs for this season. It's been in our shop barn over the winter to get it up and running -- talk about a team effort! About the time Gene and other helpers would throw up their hands at what appeared to be an un-fixable problem, someone would drop by the ranch who knew the solution.

The Sonora wheat which is a soft white wheat is really well-suited for pastry use -- pie crust, nut breads, and the biscotti in the photo. It has a lower protein content than the hard red wheat which is more suitable for bread. This harvest is bound for Mission Pie in San Francisco -- this is the urban partner of Pie Ranch. Sometimes I do use Sonora wheat in bread and add a bit of wheat gluten if I do so. The harvesting of the wheat on these sunny days awakens an archetypal feeling -- maybe deep down we recollect a time of more self-reliance and our ancestors harvesting grain. In the Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book it states that in the past, "Just about everything people ate, wore, slept under and sat on was produced at home. Everyone took part in the producing and everyone knew he or she was needed." A small effort at producing some food sometimes feels like a nice antidote to the modern pace.

Thinking of you. Donna