I spent much of my early life planning how to escape Southern California. Some of my reasons for wanting to leave fall under familiar negative stereotypes: car-centric city planning, consumption-oriented and policed 'public' spaces, and isolated, alienating suburban tracks. The tourism board's touts of San Diego's beauty also gave good reasons to leave. Tourists come to San Diego to sun-bathe, imbibe absurdly cheap alcohol, and selectively experience Mexico, as long as everyone speaks English. The perpetually balmy weather attracts (monied, white) Americans who want to retire in paradise, which serves San Diego well. The city, which relies on tourism (and the military) to drive its economy, welcomes placid homeowners who can take up real estate to "revitalize" impoverished neighborhoods and displace anything and anyone who doesn't fit the image of paradise. Residents are mostly socially and politically conservative, making for an undesirable place for me to live. Aspects of my personal life also contributed to my desire to leave.
More than ten years have passed since I moved away. It has been long enough that I am willing to reexamine, and even experience, Southern California. I do not expect that it has changed; I hope that by looking at different aspects of Southern California's geography and society that I might appreciate this region.
People scoff at Southern California, dismissing it as a vapid, self-absorbed, wasteful region. Farmers, especially Northern California farmers, aren't exempt from holding these views. Despite NorCal farmers' dubiousness that Southern California could contribute to my grain tour, I am in Los Angeles and checking out the scene. The first people I hoped to reach were of Restoration Grains. I met two of the ladies who run Restoration Grains at the North Coast Grain Growers gathering and hoped to catch up with them.
I emailed. Facebooked. No dice.
This grain train needed a destination. A gaggle of Google results directed me to the LA Bread Bakers and Common Grains.
The LA Bread Bakers connect through MeetUp.com to inform members of workshops, events, and projects. Their page included a post about an attempt to grow grains that failed due to a ground squirrel infestation, but also a note about looking for grain growers. I posted a message requesting information about the grain farm project.
No response.
Ok. Next proposed destination. Common Grains is a project that supports cultivation and use of heritage grains. Their workshops, run by Sonoko Sakai, primarily focus on buckwheat and its transformation into soba. One of their new projects involves working with Southern California farmers to grow heirloom grains like red fife and sonora. When I contacted Sonoko, I promptly received a response! and she suggested that I attend the opening of Grist & Toll.
Grist & Toll is a new mill in Pasadena that uses the giant Osti roller (same maker as the one the MGP used, but HUGE!). Nan, who runs the operation with her husband, hosted a lovely event with some grain passes and oh-so-tasty snacks. Some members of the LA Bread Bakers brought bread and fresh loaves came from a portable wood fire oven. At this event, I met some of the prominent LA Bread Bakers, namely Eric Knutzen and Mark Stambler. Eric caught me up on the bread-baking scene. Mark followed up with an overview of the grain-growing landscape in Southern California. He also introduced me to Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills, a wealth of knowledge about all things grain, and Sonoko. Janice of the Wheat Commission was in attendance as well. Aww, yeah. Who needs electronic media when you can meet everyone at a mill?
By the end of the day, I had a list of contacts and an appointment to be Mark's bread baking apprentice to work with fresh Grist & Toll flour. Hooray!
More than ten years have passed since I moved away. It has been long enough that I am willing to reexamine, and even experience, Southern California. I do not expect that it has changed; I hope that by looking at different aspects of Southern California's geography and society that I might appreciate this region.
People scoff at Southern California, dismissing it as a vapid, self-absorbed, wasteful region. Farmers, especially Northern California farmers, aren't exempt from holding these views. Despite NorCal farmers' dubiousness that Southern California could contribute to my grain tour, I am in Los Angeles and checking out the scene. The first people I hoped to reach were of Restoration Grains. I met two of the ladies who run Restoration Grains at the North Coast Grain Growers gathering and hoped to catch up with them.
I emailed. Facebooked. No dice.
This grain train needed a destination. A gaggle of Google results directed me to the LA Bread Bakers and Common Grains.
The LA Bread Bakers connect through MeetUp.com to inform members of workshops, events, and projects. Their page included a post about an attempt to grow grains that failed due to a ground squirrel infestation, but also a note about looking for grain growers. I posted a message requesting information about the grain farm project.
No response.
Ok. Next proposed destination. Common Grains is a project that supports cultivation and use of heritage grains. Their workshops, run by Sonoko Sakai, primarily focus on buckwheat and its transformation into soba. One of their new projects involves working with Southern California farmers to grow heirloom grains like red fife and sonora. When I contacted Sonoko, I promptly received a response! and she suggested that I attend the opening of Grist & Toll.
Grist & Toll is a new mill in Pasadena that uses the giant Osti roller (same maker as the one the MGP used, but HUGE!). Nan, who runs the operation with her husband, hosted a lovely event with some grain passes and oh-so-tasty snacks. Some members of the LA Bread Bakers brought bread and fresh loaves came from a portable wood fire oven. At this event, I met some of the prominent LA Bread Bakers, namely Eric Knutzen and Mark Stambler. Eric caught me up on the bread-baking scene. Mark followed up with an overview of the grain-growing landscape in Southern California. He also introduced me to Glenn Roberts of Anson Mills, a wealth of knowledge about all things grain, and Sonoko. Janice of the Wheat Commission was in attendance as well. Aww, yeah. Who needs electronic media when you can meet everyone at a mill?
By the end of the day, I had a list of contacts and an appointment to be Mark's bread baking apprentice to work with fresh Grist & Toll flour. Hooray!
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