07/22/2026
I’ve been away at the WSU Bread Lab’s Grain Gathering—part informational exchange, part grain jubilee, tons of fun.
The gatherers are a diverse mix of folks who work with grain: plant breeders, millers, bakers, farmers, malters, brewers, distillers, writers, artists, and more. I first came in 2017 and 2018, before the event took an 8-year hiatus. I was a curious home baker then. The experiences and inspiration I took from those Grain Gatherings is why Grain Queen Bakehouse exists (full stop!). I’ll share more in the next few days, but first: The Grain.
Yesterday morning we quietly sauntered through the WSU grain trial plots for a sunrise tour. In the purple light of dawn, we explored spelt varieties, and as the light brightened and clarified, we wandered among the perennial wheats and ryes. (I read once that Monet preferred morning light to any other and I wholeheartedly agree.)
We were invited to look closely and observe. Knowing nothing about grain breeding, I couldn’t identify traits or defects, only random visual differences. As I went on, particular stalks seemed to call me over for a closer look. I found a variety curiously covered in slugs, some with perfectly tidy rows of grain and others with twists and bulges and curls. Some standing up straight, some with a pleasing arc or feathery touch that felt lovely to walk along. I tried to capture that diversity in photos but to be among it is a powerful sensation — standing in a field of grain, following the meandering path of observation and intuition, the way humans have for thousands and thousands of years. It erases time, gives me tingles, makes me fall in love all over again.
Thanks to the WSU Breadlab director Kevin Murphy for leading this tour and inviting us to experience the fields this way.