Weatherbury Farm Grain Tracker
From Planting to Harvest, Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat (Whole & Sifted Pastry Flour) in the field:
Before planting Frederick Wheat, the fields are plowed and harrowed. Harrowing smooths the field after plowing.
Planting the Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat on a Sunny Fall Day
The planter has a harrow on its front which smooths the field before the grain is planted. This gives the Frederick Wheat the best possible growing conditions.
Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat emerging from Winter.
Winter planted grains (like Frederick) need to vernalized over the winter to produce grain. If the wheat was planted in the spring, the field would look just like grass and not develop grain heads.
This is what the wheat looks like when the farmers frost seed the field. Nigel estimates that they walk 40 miles each year frost seeding clover into the grains that were planted the previous fall.
On the road back to Weatherbury Farm after planting.
The grain for the Frederick Flours travels just 4 miles from field to mill — a short (& pretty) supply chain.
Weatherbury’s Organic Pastry Flour in the field!
In just three months, the wheat has grown from a tiny shoot to a plant, with the grain heads forming.
In this photo, you get a glimpse of Weatherbury Farm at work: you can see Frederick Wheat in foreground, and in the background, Appalachian Wheat to the left, a tractor making hay on the middle field, and Emmer on the right.
Harvesting Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat.
The threshed grains are retained in the body of the combine. The straw is deposited from the rear of the combine back unto the field. We either bale the straw (seen to the left, behind the combine) to use for animal bedding or leave it in the field, where it will increase the organic matter of the soil.
Increasing the organic matter of the soil is one of the best ways to counter global warming.
Harvesting Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat.
After the Frederick Wheat is harvested by the combine, it is unloaded into a gravity box to be transported back to Weatherbury Farm.
Frederick White Soft Winter Wheat Facts 2023
Frederick Wheat Fields 2023
In 2023, Frederick White Soft Winter Wheat was grown in Independence Township on 3 fields, totaling 7.738 acres on the farm established by R. Meloy, Esquire in 1829. Meloy was a farmer, grain, stock and wool grower. More recently the farm was a dairy farm and a cattle farm. Weatherbury Farm has farmed this land since 2015. The farm has been certified organic since 2006.
The wheat was planted on October 17, 2022.
Clover was frost seeded into the Frederick Wheat on March 27 & 29, 2023. (The clover suppresses weeds, aids in holding up the grain and, eventually provides nitrogen to the next crop.)
The Frederick Wheat was harvested on July 12, 2023.
At the 2022 Washington County Fair, the Frederick Wheat sheaf won 1st place and the jar of Frederick Wheat grains won 2nd place.
Washington County Fair 2016: Frederick Wheat Sheaf
And as to taste — cornbread made with Weatherbury’s pastry flour and cornmeal placed at the county fair 8 out of the past 9 years, winning 4 First place awards and 3 Second place award and 1 Third place awards. Recipes using Frederick Pastry Flour range from pancakes to cakes (including our personal favorite — butter cake), cookies and cookies.
In 2016, the Frederick Wheat sheaf won the Best of Show/Judge’s Choice Award.
For an illustrated explanation of how Weatherbury grains become flour, visit the from seed to flour page.
About Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat
Frederick White Soft Winter Wheat was developed under the auspices of the Ontario Cereal Crops Committee and does well in our area.
Products Milled from Frederick Soft White Winter Wheat
Frederick White Soft Winter Wheat is milled into organic unbleached whole and sifted pastry flour, both of which are unbelievably tasty and a great way to punch up nutrition in cakes and pastries.
Health benefits of Wheat
Wheat is an excellent source of protein, dietary fibers, manganese and selenium. Wheat’s fiber boosts the digestive process and improves overall metabolism. The vitamin B content of wheat provides you with energy. Additionally, the complex carbohydrates in wheat keeps you feeling fuller longer and give you energy over a longer period.
Managanese, which wheat is rich in, acts as a co-factor for greater than 300 enzymes involved in the production of insulin and glucose secretion. Wheat’s betaine content prevents chronic inflammation, which is a key constituent in rheumatic pains and diseases. Additionally, its anti-inflammatory property reduces the risk of ailments like osteoporosis, heart diseases, Alzheimer’s disease, cognitive decline, and type-2 diabetes.
More Information
Pastry flour can be ordered either for our monthly on-farm pickup or you can have your order sent to you.
To read more about pastry flour, please visit our products page.
More information on Frederick White Soft Winter Wheat and other grains grown at Weatherbury Farm are on the grains we grow page.