Not many growers specialize in ancient grains. Some land nestled against foothills in San Luis Obispo County is dedicated to age-old crops, some that are only grown in a few places.
California may be known for its fruits and nuts, but there are plenty of other crops around the state, including some you may never have heard of. Larry Kandarian is a farmer in San Luis Obispo who grows a variety of ancient grains. “The one that is involved in research is Kernza and it’s just a perennial wheatgrass. There’s a movement by the permaculture group to grow perennial wheats rather than till the ground and cause erosion and all the carbon degradation,” Kandarian says. “We do herbs, spices, ancient grains, pollens, pulses and some botanicals.”
Kandarian uses farming to teach people about what’s possible in California. “The point is to educate people on what we can grow here because this is very much a Mediterranean climate and you can almost grow anything,” Kandarian says. “It’s not like Africa where you can plant beans any day of the year, but it certainly lends itself to growing lots of different crops.”
You can listen to Kandarian’s full interview below.
Ancient Grains Show Growing Possibilities