Bluebird FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions
Here you’ll find answers to the questions we hear most often. If you still have questions not answered please click the button below. We love to hear from you!
General Questions
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Where are you located?
We are located in North Central Washington at 19611 State Route Highway 20, between Winthrop and Twisp.
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Do you sell at any Washington State farmers markets?
After many years of traveling to various Farmers Markets in the Seattle area Bluebird Grain Farms is no longer attending any farmers markets. Our focus is direct farm sales through our online retail store and wholesale accounts throughout the country. If you are in the area please visit our small storefront at our farm or visit our online shop. If you are interested in wholesale sales please fill out the form in our wholesale portal.
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My doctors and dietitians are insisting that I eat steel-cut oats for health and weight loss and that your Old World Cereal Blend product is not the best for me. I love your product but how do I answer their claims about steel-cut oats?
Our Old World Cereal Blend is a 50/50 blend of our heirloom rye and cracked emmer farro. Eating rye has been linked to weight loss. Rye tends to give you a feeling of fullness hence making you eat less. Additionally, like oats, both rye and emmer have a low glycemic index.
Emmer is also superior in nutritional value to steel-cut oats. It is high in b vitamins, fiber content, essential amino acids, and critical trace minerals such as manganese that can’t be found in other grains. Because, however, there is not a lot of formal nutritional data on whole-grain emmer, your doctors are focusing on the data they do have access to. Here is a very interesting article on the nutritional benefits of ancient wheat that may help you convince them: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1541-4337.12262.
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Do you ever provide discounts? I’m a huge fan, but I would like to reduce the cost due to cross-country shipping.
YES! We have an e-mail list specifically designed for special promotions. You can sign up for promotions to receive current promotional offers for our online retail store. We try to send out at least one promotion per month. We do not sell or share our email list. You can always unsubscribe.
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I love your flours but cannot find it in any of the grocery stores. Can you tell me where I can purchase them?
We currently do not have a store locator on our website. We have strong distribution in the Pacific Northwest, particularly in the Seattle and Portland area. Many natural food stores and food co-ops in Washington and Oregon carry some of our products. You can also buy direct via our online store. We mill our flour fresh to order, which is a very unique option. Please send us ">a email of where you are located and we will do our best to let you know if there is a store in your area that carries our products.
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Where do you get your seed to grow farro?
We have been growing our Emmer seed stock from 2004. Today, along with our partner farm, we continue to grow this original stock. Our Emmer seed stock came from the Montana State University research station in the late 1990s- most of their varieties were sourced from the World Seed Bank. Many of the Emmer varieties, including our own, came from the fertile crescent region of Mesopotamia.
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What process do you use to mill your grains?
We use a hammer mill to produce our flour and cracked grains. This type of mill produces a higher very consistent whole grain flour and maintains a low flour temperature for optimal performance.
Baking with our Flours
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My family is attempting to go “hybridized wheat” and bad-gluten free. We bought a bread maker and want to try the original ancient heirloom grains. What variety do you recommend for us?
The oldest varieties we carry that are considered “ancient wheats” which includes: Einkorn, Emmer, and Spelt. Their tight husk defines their ancient primitive origins.
Our heritage wheats and rye date back 80 to 300 years. Our Heritage Rye and Sonora White Wheat are considered landrace varieties – their natural genetics remain and they has been cultivated in the same region for over 100 years. Our hard red wheat and hard white wheat are older public varieties that date back to the 1950’s. None of our grains are considered “modern hybridized” varieties. All of our grains are open-source, open- pollinated, non patented varieties.
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I’ve been using your Emmer whole-wheat flour in my bread. I was looking at a recipe in an issue of The Art of Eating that uses Farro. They suggest a Farro Piccolo versus the Farro semi Perlato because it has the entire coat of bran remaining. How might this compare to your Emmer Farro?
Farro Piccolo, referred to as small farro in Italian, corresponds to einkorn and is known for its faster cooking time compared to emmer farro. Meanwhile, farro semi-perlato, or pearled farro, undergoes a process where some bran is removed to expedite cooking, albeit at the expense of reduced fiber and nutrient content. It’s important to note that semi-pearled grains can encompass both Emmer and Spelt varieties. Emmer, with its culinary origins rooted in Italy, is the predominant variety associated with the term “farro.” Our emmer farro and einkorn farro remain true whole grains, never undergoing the pearling process.
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Would you please tell me if there is anyone that is using your products to make whole grain bread and/or crackers?
We have lots of loyal customers who bake whole grain breads and crackers with our products. Please go to our recipe page and filter “crackers” and you should find a few recipes there.
All of our flour is 100% whole grain because we believe in keeping the nutrients in! Keep in mind that whole grain flour is much denser than processed flour. You will find that it absorbs moisture and generally you will have to add 1/4 to 1/2 more moisture than what your recipe calls for. Also, when baking quick breads (biscuits, pancakes, etc.) make sure to use an acid such as buttermilk, yogurt, or lemon juice. This helps give whole grain breads a lift.
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We were told that Farro flour makes a superior pizza crust. It is apparently widely used in Naples. My husband usually uses Caputo “00” flour. I am not sure if the Farro flour is too dense for pizza dough and will need more moisture because of the composition of the grain. What do you think?
Emmer Flour performs differently than Caputo 00 Flour. Caputo 00 is a highly processed, refined flour, generally made from high protein wheat such as hard white. The “00” refers to the size of the screen on the mill. The germ and the bran is extracted from 00 flour and it is milled into a fine grind. Our Emmer Flour is whole grain flour; it contains both the germ and the bran. Generally when baking with Emmer Flour more moisture is needed, for every 1 cup of water recommended I usually add 1/4 cup more. Emmer Flour yields a flatbread pizza crust that reveals a rich nutty flavor. If you want your dough to have some rise to it you can combine Emmer Flour with the “00” flour. Our favorite combination for pizza dough is 2 cups of our Pasayten Hard White Flour and 1 Cup Emmer Flour.
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I am new to heirloom wheat and don’t have any idea where to start. What is the best heirloom wheat to use to bake bread, cake and other pastries?
I would recommend starting with our Emmer or Einkorn flour. It is very nutritious. Emmer flour is dense. You may need to add a little more moisture to your recipe. The Emmer flour is wonderful in baked goods such as coffee cakes, brownies, or as an additive to breads for flavor and nutrition. Einkorn flour performs like a whole wheat pastry flour. It is a soft flour, low in gluten with a very mild flavor. We love it in crepes, cakes, cookies, and muffins. For a classic “whole wheat loaf,” we would recommend starting with our Hard Red Wheat. Our Hard White Wheat is great for cookies and cakes. All of our flour is whole grain flour, which means the germ and bran are in the flour (the nutrition). All of our flours can be used for breads.
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Could you advise me which of your flours would be most suitable for baking basic bread in a bread machine?
All of our flours can be used in a bread machine. Our Methow Hard Red Wheat and Pasayten Hard White Wheat flour both have the highest gluten content and are used most commonly for yeasted breads. Our Hard Red is most often used for breads but our Hard White is also just as useful with a milder flavor. The Hard White is in a fine grind so it’s a little more versatile than our Hard Red, which is in a medium grind. Our ancient grain Spelt Flour also yields a beautiful whole wheat loaf with a rich malty flavor. All of our flour is 100% whole grain flour – meaning the germ and bran are in the flour and it is minimally processed to garner the nutrition.
Gluten & Allergy Information
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I have heard that people with gluten intolerance can eat your emmer and einkorn wheat flour products and not have problems. Can you tell me if this is true and why? This would be a great option for our family.
We have several customers who have shared with us that they have gluten/wheat issues yet they can digest our emmer and einkorn with ease. Gluten intolerance is a complex issue and we trust that every individual needs to make their own decision for themselves. After 20 plus years of being in this industry we have developed our “own reasons” about the gluten/wheat issues that are plaguing our food system today. We believe most of this has to do with the way grains are grown and processed alongside the complex hybridizations of modern wheat to meet the demands of the industrialized food system.
We think people can tolerate Bluebird Grains because they are 1.) Organically grown with a high focus on nutrient density, 2.) Our grains are minimally processed, 3.) Emmer and einkorn are simple ancient grains which translates to easy digestion, 4.) We process all of our flour and blends to order so they are fresh and the nutrients are available, 5.) All of our products are whole grain which means we do not take the germ or the bran out. Our whole grains are sproutable living seeds so that we can pass the nutrition on to you.
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My friend recently told me about Emmer Farro, but I am unclear if it is gluten free. I am very intolerant of gluten, which is found in many grains (i.e. wheat, barley, rye, most oats, spelt, etc.).
No, Emmer is not gluten free. Emmer is an ancient Wheat. It does contain a small amount of gluten – less than spelt. Because Emmer is an ancient wheat the gluten structure is much simpler than modern wheat gluten.
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Are emmer and einkorn appropriate for those with wheat sensitivities?
Although emmer and einkorn are technically wheat, it is a very simple, low-gluten grain. The gluten structures of emmer and einkorn are quite different from modern gluten. Many of our customers who have wheat sensitivities have had great success with emmer and einkorn. Of course please use your best judgment: only you know your body best.
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Can you tell me whether peanuts or tree nuts are present where your grains are grown, processed, or stored?
All of our grains are grown, stored and processed on our farm. We do not process any nuts at our facility.
Storage and Freshness
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When do you mill your flours before shipping?
Each week, we clean our grains on Monday and mill in small batches on Tuesday and Wednesday. When shipped, your flour/grains have been cleaned and processed within 3 to 4 days of the ship date. It is ideal to use within 30-40 days because it is FRESH. After 30-40 days it begins to lose the fresh milled flavor due to oxidation. As long as it is stored in a dry cool place, however, it will not lose nutrition or go rancid for up to 6 months, but it does lose its fresh milled flavor. Some bakers claim that after 14 days of oxidizing the performance is better, but again you lose the fresh milled flavor.
If we don’t have your product available from that week’s milling, it will be shipped/processed on the following week/milling schedule. This generally only happens with larger flour orders of 25 lb. or more.
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How do I store whole grain emmer? How long can I store whole grains?
Whole grain emmer (and all whole grains for that matter) should be stored in a cool, dry, air tight container. If you live in a humid environment we recommend that you store whole grains (that are not going to be consumed within a few months) in the refrigerator or freezer. Whole grains have their own natural storage capsule; as long as they are not cracked open and exposed to air (oxidation) they will remain viable whole grains (seeds) for years and be perfectly edible!
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How long can I store your flours?
It is ideal to use our flour within 30-40 days because it is FRESH. After 30-40 days it begins to lose the fresh milled flavor due to oxidation. However, as long as it is stored in a dry cool place it will not lose nutrition or go “bad” for up to 6 months. We do not recommend that you store fresh milled flour in the freezer. We go to great effort to clean and mill grains each week so that you can enjoy the fresh milled flavor. If you store fresh milled flour in the freezer, it sucks out the moisture, leaving an off flavor.
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How long can I store your cracked emmer and the Old World Cereal blend?
Our cracked grains have the best flavor if eaten within 3 months, but can be safely stored for six to nine months if kept in a cool, dry location in a sealed container.