Grains Get Local

A lovely little locavore trend I've picked up on recently: local grains.

While we're not exactly positioned in the midst of amber waves of grain here on the Eastern seaboard, we still have some good options for keeping it close when shopping for flour and such.

The new Smucker Farms store on 14th Street is carrying Daisy Organic Flours from Pennsylvania. Much of the wheat that goes into the flours is grown in Pennsylvania or New York, including the spelt version.

And over at the Dupont Circle FreshFarm Market, Next Step Produce has been selling an incredible array of grains including barley, oats and rye. Read more about Next Step's mission to grow grains locally on their blog.

On the restaurant front, chef Kyle Bailey has been on the hunt for local grains to use in the kitchen at Birch and Barley. He's ordering wheatberries from Loudoun County's Moutoux Orchards. And at the FreshFarm Farmland Feast this fall, he served delicious toasted barley from the Eastern Shore's Sand Hill Farm alongside roasted chicken.