Spelt and Barley 2020! from Roman times to the present day...

Like every year at this time, we can appreciate the new crops of barley and spelt spelt, finally ready for distribution and consumption.
After the planting in the farms of our members in autumn 2019, we arrive at the 2020 summer harvest, then the cleaning and some “fresh” preservation, up to the hulling, pearling and packaging, the latter by the cooperative La Terra e il Cielo, our partner.

Spelt spelt, an ancient primitive cereal (it was the main food supply of Roman soldiers in their long marches), is the fruit of the seed that we reproduce ourselves in El Tamiso. The one packaged this year comes from our partner Valerio Abbiate, in the Modena hills. Not to be confused with coconut spelt, more vitreous, with which pasta is generally made, or with monococcus spelt, or small spelt, even more precious for its nutritional characteristics. Spelt, or large spelt, more floury and tender, is suitable for many simple kitchen preparations.

Barley, also an 'old' variety, called 'Agordino', recovered and reproduced by us, comes from the Montegrotto land of the partner company Il Biancospino. It is a robust and undemanding crop, producing a fairly large and consistent bean. The name of the variety evokes mountain crops, in places where barley is traditionally a staple food. Few people know, however, that among the cultivated cereals, barley is by far the most present, since the beginning of agriculture, in almost all the climatic zones of the earth.

These cereals, among others that we are following, have long since returned to being interesting because of their “harmless” nature towards gluten intolerances.