You can add red fife flour to your cupboards to elevate your baked goods and other dishes to a whole new level. There are many artisan bakeries using Red Fife wheat in their products. From the one pound of Red Fife wheat that was originally planted in 1988 more than 500 tons (100 000 pounds, or 45 360 kilograms) were harvested in 2007. It disappeared from production with the Great Depression and was re-introduced into Canada a little over a decade ago, where it has drawn a slow, steady, ardent cadre of artisan bakers. Mustard: Until recently, we shipped these seeds to France to be made into Dijon. It can be hard or soft, white or red and be planted in winter or spring. Travel Alberta . and family began to grow in 1842 at their farm in Peterborough, Ont. This was the first heritage wheat put on the Ark. If you dare, read the full list here. It is impossible to verify where the wheat originated as grain has moved around the world for many centuries. In addition, the law allows manufactures to add a host of additives, none of which is required to be named on the ingredient label. Our team will be reviewing your submission and get back to you with any further questions. Signing up enhances your TCE experience with the ability to save items to your personal reading list, and access the interactive map. The wheat was originally sent to Peterborough, Ontario farmer David Fife in 1840, from whom it took its name. In fact, Red Fife wheat is the newest taste sensation in the Canadian artisan bread world, described by bakers as "full of aroma and golden reddish colour crust.". Alberta’s Seven Signature Foods, One Can’t-Miss Experience. In 1999, Onoway, Alberta farmer Kerry Smith began growing Red Fife and other historic varieties. According to Wikipedia, it originated in Turkey and then made its way to Ukraine, where it was grown by Mennonites. Heritage varieties included Red Fife, Ladoga, Bishop, Preston, Hard Red Calcutta, Marquis and Stanley. Red Fife is a bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) variety that Dave Fife and family began to grow in 1842 at their farm in Peterborough, Ont. Heirloom Red Fife wheat boasts exceptional flavor and baking properties while remaining un-altered by modern genetic modification. Hi, I would just like you to know that I grow the Red Fife wheat here in southern Alberta. Excellent gluten development and rising power for leavened baked goods. Description Red Fife Whole Grain Flour – 3, 10 & 50 lb bags. Red Fife is a heritage bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) and is a landrace, meaning there is genetic variability in the wheat, allowing it to adapt to a diversity of growing conditions.Red Fife is the name of a bread wheat variety that David Fife and family began to grow in 1842. Red Fife was North America’s preferred bread wheat in the 19th century, fathering many of our modern bread wheat varieties. Red Fife Wheat Bread. I obtain the original seed from Sharon Remple. [citation needed]. Because of its hardiness and great flavour it is enjoying a comeback. In 1842 a friend of David’s working at the port in Glasgow sent him some grains of a hardy wheat variety. Although Red Fife wheat is not a significant part of the Canadian agriculture industry and is not exported, farmers coast to coast throughout Canada are now growing it, mostly organically. They farm 2400 acres certified organic since 1990. I had spoken to Sharon Rempel on the phone a few times a couple of years ago to learn about her involvement in initiating the process to have Red Fife Wheat become a Slow Food Canada Presidia Product.I learned it was an arduous process, but a labour of love and a passion for Sharon who now lives on Vancouver Island. Now, Alberta food entrepreneurs are producing jars of this kitchen staple here. It performs similarly to — and can be used in place of — modern Hard Red Winter wheat. Spring wheat is planted in April to May, makes a continuous growth and is harvested in August to early September. One legend states that a load of wheat grown in Ukraine was on a ship in the Glasgow harbour. It was a natural fit for the harsh Canadian climate and is able to grow robust wheat year after year. I’ve been playing around with Red Fife wheat lately, trying to come up with an everyday bread where I can get reliable results that I also like. Red Fife wheat has more than one — a history, a legend and some delicious kernels of truth sprouting in between. The foundation seed for Bernie’s Red Fife is derived from the Keremeos strain that was brought to Canada from Scotland 170 years ago. S. Rempel, Demeter's Wheat: Growing Local Food and Community with Traditional Wisdom and Heritage Wheat (2008). Seven historic wheat varieties - Red Fife (1842), Ladoga (1880), Preston (1880), Stanley (1880), Hard Red Calcutta (1880), Marquis (1890) and Thatcher (1930) - were grown and became a "Living Museum of Wheat." Also I grew another older wheat called Selkirk, another hard red spring wheat. In 1988 Sharon Rempel, chief interpreter of The Grist Mill historic site at Keremeos, BC, decided to bring together the varieties of wheat that might have been milled there. The wheat was originally sent to Peterborough, Ontario farmer David Fife in 1840, from whom it took its name. My Red Fife came from an organic family farm in Southeastern Alberta, where it has been grown for the last 100 years. bringing their wheat grains with them from Ukraine and developing the “Red Fife Wheat” that is grown throughout Alberta, ‑‑ contributing to Alberta’s rich cultural heritage through the arts, including choral and instrumental music, folkloric and performing dance, fine art, fibre art, literature, architecture, libraries, museums and archival collections and cuisine, and 7) Red Fife Wheat - You'll find it at farmers' markets--it's loved in various textured and sourdough loaves. From 1900 to 1988 Red Fife was grown in plant breeders' seed collections. Red Fife is a wheat variety that was the baking and milling industries' standard of wheat in Canada from 1860 to 1900. Jul 22, ... root vegetables, Red Fife Wheat, bison and, of course, world-famous Alberta beef. It was developed in 1842 by Scottish immigrant David Fife, whose experiments to develop a strain of wheat with disease resistance that would provide consistent yields resulted in this variety. We have many customers with wheat digestion issues that happily report back to us that this older variety does not bother them, which is very interesting. Title: Red Fife Wheat Author: Zzz Created Date: 5/1/2008 9:49:10 AM The tour’s been designated a Signature Canadian Experience, which means it’s definitely something to add to your Alberta bucket list. Meaghan Baxter. It is impossible to verify where the wheat originated as grain has moved around the world for many centuries. Farmers are growing heritage wheat varieties as part of the 100 Mile Diet, 'eat local' and Slow Food movements. Hardy and resistant to the diseases of the time, Red Fife was also very flavorful. Sharon has worked with the Heritage Wheat Project since 1998 and with heritage wheats like Red Fife since 1987. In addition, it is used to make be… Nevertheless, most of the bread wheats in Canada owe part of their genetic lineage to Red Fife wheat. Barley – We grow the world’s best barley in Alberta. Deep red color and plump oblong shape. Park Wheat is an heirloom variety that was naturally crossed between Red Fife, Red Calcutta and a few other old varieties here in Alberta. I have done many experiments and have found that no matter what, it makes better buns than loaves, and as a loaf you get a kind of flat focaccia type shape. Its name is derived from the original red colour of the wheat kernel and the name of the farmer; this was a typical procedure for naming wheat in the mid-1800s. 9. Heritage wheat varieties are pre 1960 varieties that grow well without high inputs of chemicals according to Sharon Rempel. It is Alberta’s wheat! The wheat grew. By the 1860s Red Fife was distributed and grown across Canada. In 1987 Sharon Rempel planted a "Living Museum of Wheat" at The Grist Mill at Keremeos, an 1880s living history site in Keremeos, British Columbia, Canada. Highwood Crossing Foods in Canada has organic food like granola, muesli, cereal, flour, baking mixes, oil, and gluten-free flour, baking mixes for pancakes, muffins & Pizza. Wheat has several uses, including flour for baked goods and pasta, and feed for livestock. I started to grow the Red Fife when she had approached me 2 years ago with the wheat. Lots of wheat – Red Fife wheat is a heritage wheat that kept our early settlers alive. Its name is derived from the original red colour of the wheat kernel and the name of the farmer; this was a typical procedure for naming wheat in the mid-1800s. Red Fife wheat is a landrace, meaning there is a genetic variability in the wheat that allows it to adapt to a diversity of growing conditions. 'Red Fife' was the first named variety of wheat developed in Canada. Often referred to as Faith Red Fife, it’s especially popular with consumers seeking to avoid modern hybridized wheat. Plant breeders continue to use heritage wheat varieties in order to develop new varieties. Red Fife wheat, most likely a cross between Ukrainian and Scottish hard red wheat varieties, was first grown in central Ontario in the 1840s. Our wheat crops in Alberta include high quality Durum (hard) wheat that is sent to Italy to become pasta. David Fife was a Scotsman living in Peterborough, and his serendipitous “discovery” of what became known as Red Fife wheat is now a Canadian food legend. The wheat was originally sent to Peterborough, Ontario farmer David Fife in 1840, from whom it took its name. In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the Alberta Organic Association’s Walter Walchuk, along with Rempel, co-hosted organic heritage wheat field trials throughout Alberta. Meanwhile Red Fife wheat was making its way west from Ontario. Marquis was a cross between two landrace wheats: Red Fife and Hard Red Calcutta. Red Fife contains less gluten than regular whole wheat flour and so it does not rise or spring as much, instead making a dense, chewy, nutritious and delicious bread. In fact, Red Fife wheat is the genetic parent to almost all other Canadian wheats that are grown in the prairies in modern times. This was the beginning of Red Fife wheat in Canada. Red Fife wheat is characterized by 3 little awns at the top of the wheat head but is otherwise awnless. Within Canada, wheat is the most important cultivated crop (grown on an average of over 10 million hectares), though canola is increasing in significance. Its adaptability and final characteristics are directly related to the genetics and the way it interacts with the environment. Park, along with ALL of our grains are non-GMO. Red Fife is a wheat variety that was the baking and milling industries' standard of wheat in Canada from 1860 to 1900. Canadian wheat classes are categorized as Western Canadian and Eastern Canadian by the regions in which the varieties are grown. [2], Jennifer Scott and organic farmers in the Maritimes began to grow heritage wheats in the mid-1990s. Red Fife is Canada's oldest wheat. Rarely grown, this heritage grain has a distinct flavor all its own, and it shines in breads and muffins. The family cow managed to eat all the wheat heads except for one, which Mrs Fife salvaged. Red Fife wheat Last updated February 21, 2020. It is impossible to verify where the wheat originated as grain has moved around the world for many centuries. Site managers Cuyler Page and Sharon Rempel hoped to grow these old wheats so that they would eventually be recommercialized in Canada. Though it's a Canadian heritage food and was the baking and milling industries' standard of wheat from 1860 to 1900, it was also the first wheat to grow well in Alberta. 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