Einkorn Harvest at Paolo's Farm

Summer may be fading, but we wanted to share with you what was happening this July at one of our farms. Late July is when our organic farmers harvest jovial’s einkorn wheat. This year, we want to share that special day from Paolo’s farm. Paolo is an old friend and neighbor to our founders. In fact, they were married at his farm many years ago.

At that time, Paolo was growing his own grapes at his family’s vineyard for wine. He also was growing heirloom wheat for the handmade bread and pasta that were served at his restaurant. He was a perfect candidate for farming einkorn because it takes someone special to grow this type of wheat.

Yields are very low and the grains are very small. Yet, his farmland has clay soil, so it would be nearly impossible to grow regular organic wheat here for a profit because he would have to compete with the prices traded on the commodities market. Owners of marginal farmland must diversify and this makes jovial’s partnership with Paolo a great business collaboration, while ensuring a nice clean product that grows in a remote location for our customers.

In fact, working in these pristine hills is a bit complicated and the combine used to harvest the wheat has special extensions to keep the machine straight and safe while the harvester moves with the slope of the land.

You might recall seeing this picture of our founder Carla standing in modern wheat on the left and this very same field of einkorn wheat on the right back in June. Modern wheat was dwarfed by plant breeders during the Green Revolution to prevent bending in the wind. Einkorn still grows about five feet tall. It really is a beautiful site to see, slim and noble.

Everything at jovial is a family affair. The pair of gentlemen running the combine harvester are a father and son team and Paolo’s dog Dada never strays too far from the action at the farm.

Here is Paolo observing the harvest. Each year it still amazes us all to see how small einkorn is compared to other varieties of wheat, about a third of the size. The einkorn is stored with the hulls until they are removed for milling. That is the way wheat used to grow, but now wheat has been bred to be free-threshing, meaning the outer protective layer does not form and the grain grows naked and ready for milling.

Quite a view from the top of this hill and definitely not a place for those who are afraid of heights.

You might have missed this video from the farm last year, when we introduced you to Paolo and Dada.