Description
We are delighted to now be able to offer a small amount of this. It is a population wheat which derives from the Waklyns YQ. Rather than being a single variety, carefully kept pure from generation to generation, this was created by Martin Wolfe by crossing 20 varieties, (many quite old and chosen for their quality for bread and their yield in less than perfect conditions and low-input systems – hence “YQ”) to create nearly 200 lines which are all grown together. This means that the whole crop has an immense genetic diversity which gives it great resilience to changing conditions. By keeping seed from year to year those best adapted to our local soil and climate will be favoured so in due course we will have bred a population adapted to our farm: a Tamarisk landrace, which may yield less than others in optimal years but should average well overall. We harvested the first crop in 2017, and so far we are pleased with the quality and flavour. The whole berry is milled to create this flavourful 100% wholemeal flour which makes a firm and nutty loaf leavened either with yeast, or better, as a sourdough.
To read more detail about YQ we recommend this excellent article from the Guardian.
