In this episode Christopher Abbott talks about his company Perennial Pantry, and the ingredient their products are centered around: Kernza. We discuss how growing up surrounded by large scale commodity grain crops inspired him to grow his own grains, move into the small scale malting equipment manufacturing business, and finally start selling Kernza grains, flour mixes, and (soon) crackers. We talk about Kernza itself, and how it was bred by the Land Institute and the University of Minnesota for decades and is now being grown as the first perennial grain. We also talk about how the group of Kernza growers and researchers are a joyful community working together toward a food system that benefits the people and the environment. We specifically discuss the environmental benefits of Kernza, with existing research showing benefits to the water system, and those in process assessing Kernza’s ability to draw carbon down into the soil. And so much more! https://perennial-pantry.com/ https://landinstitute.org/our-work/perennial-crops/kernza/ https://forevergreen.umn.edu/crops/kernza-intermediate-wheatgrass
In this episode Elona Trogub talks about her company Gorge Greens (microgreens) which is part of the Wind River Project (biochar and planning combined heat and energy greenhouse complex). We talk about her love of food and farming from a young age. We talk about the health benefits of microgreens. We talk about biochar production from waste wood and the plans to create it in a combined heat and power system that will support greenhouses producing local year-round fruits and vegetables. We talk about how biochar can help form super healthy soils. And much more. https://gorgegreens.com/ http://windriverproject.com/