5lb Red Fife Hard Red Winter Wheat Whole Berries Heirloom Non-Hybrid Heritage Wheat No-Glyphosate

Red Fife Hard Red Winter Wheat is a heritage variety of wheat. These are whole, unmilled, Red Fife wheat berries that boast exceptional flavor and baking properties while remaining unaltered by modern genetic modification. 

History of Red Fife. Named after David Fife, the seed came from Scotland in 1842 and is believed to be a relative of Halychanka Wheat, a Ukrainian Heritage wheat. Red Fife has been resurrected by several faithful organic heritage wheat farmers mostly in Canada. Red Fife seed stock is actively being preserved and protected as a Heritage/Heirloom variety. 

Non-Hybridization. Although it is the foundation of many modern hybrid wheat varieties this wheat has not undergone the hybridization of modern wheats. It is thought that mass hybridization of modern wheat has changed the protein structure of wheat leading to the increased cases of gluten sensitivity we see today. 

Red Fife may be more easily digestible and tolerated by those with gluten sensitivities.

Characteristics. The taste of the Red Fife is more complex than common Hard Red Wheats and the breads bake up moister, with a cohesive crumb. Especially suited to bread, it has a high gluten content that can be used by itself or mixed with low-gluten flours (spelt, rye, etc) for excellent results.

Uses. If you mill your own flour, you’ll love the robust, slightly sweet, and spicy taste of freshly milled organic Red Fife. Or you can boil the whole berries and use them in pilafs, soups, breakfast bowls, and grain salads.

Agronomics. Red Fife is a hearty variety that grows well. However, compared to today’s modern varieties, it has characteristics that are not desirable to the modern farmer. The plant grows very tall and has a long straw. This characteristic tends to result in a loss of grain called, “shattering” in the field due to the resulting high placement of the wheat berries.  It can be planted in late fall or early spring and produces a head without a beard. Yield is low compared to other farmers growing conventional wheat. For instance, my yield was 40% of what neighbor farmers achieved. I feel these challenges are worth it when I examine this variety's taste, digestibility, and health benefits. 

Note: We mechanically clean the grain after harvest to remove residue, resulting in a clean grain. From time to time you may see a few remaining hulls. We elect to delicately clean the grain in favor of superior grain quality over the complete elimination of the hulls.