Organic Obsidian Emmer Berries : An Exclusively Weatherbury Grain Berry

Emmer Berries from Organic Obsidian Black Winter Emmer which is grown on the farm.

High in protein, fiber minerals and vitamins.
Emmer berries’ chewy texture is perfect in soups, salads, grain bowls and as a morning porridge.

Organic Obsidian Emmer Berries

Eat like a pharaoh (farro) and use emmer berries in salads, pilafs and as a hot breakfast cereal.

Also known as “Farro Medio”

2lbs* ($9.02 ); 5lbs* ($19.11)
Limited to 5lbs/person/order

* 2 and 5 pound bags are packaged in re-sealable bags .

Place your order for Emmer Berries at our online farm shop!

Organic Black Obsidian Emmer Berries in the Field

Emmer is an ancient grain. Grown at Weatherbury Farm, which is the first farm to offer complete traceability back to the field where it was grown.

Weatherbury Farm’s Emmer Tracker traces the Obsidian Emmer grain back to the field where it was grown, here at Weatherbury Farm.

Weatherbury Farm is one of a handful of farms that produces local grain berries (from grains grown on the farm). But we take it a step further and provide, through our grain tracker, complete traceability — information & pictures of how, when, and where the grain was grown.

Imagine, that you are serving a salad with emmer berries, you pull out your cell phone and click on Weatherbury’s Emmer Tracker, and say to the folks at the table, “Emmer is an ancient grain that it is grown at Weatherbury Farm. Take a look at the grain in the field.”

Using Weatherbury Organic Obsidian Emmer Berries

Organic Obsidian Emmer Berries

Use Emmer Berries in almost any dish calling for grain berries (soups, salads & grain bowls) as a hot morning breakfast cereal or to add interest to other baked goods.

The terrior of the soil gives our emmer berries such a wonderful flavor.

How to substitute Weatherbury Emmer Berries in your own recipes

Emmer berries can be used in any recipe calling for wheat berries or farro.

They make an healthy overnight breakfast cereal (as they have been used since ancient times), and can be cooked like rice or risotto for a recipe or used in a salad.

Whether you use Weatherbury Emmer Berries as a cereal or in baked goods, you provide not only great taste but make them more nourishing

Benefits of Emmer Berries

Weatherbury Farm grows Obsidian Black Winter Emmer, which was bulked at Weatherbury Farm.

Emmer contains only 28 chromosomes while modern wheat contains 42.

Emmer is high in protein — 1/2 cup contains between 26 and 40% of the daily fiber requirements. And as a high protein, low gluten grain emmer may be easier to digest. As Emmer is easier to digest, it may help with your body’s metabolism and weight control. In addition to fiber and protein, it contains high levels of minerals (copper, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, zinc, iron & selenium), vitamins B (includingB1, B2 niacin, panthothenic acid and B6) & vitamin E, anti-oxidants (especially lignans) and essential fatty acids that can help keep you healthy. Additionally, it has a low glycemic index.

And best of all, it tastes great.

Storing Emmer Berries

There are no preservatives in our berries. Please refrigerate. If you will not be using the berries immediately, please store in the freezer especially in warm weather.

More Information about Weatherbury Farm’s Organic Emmer Berries

History of Emmer

Wild Emmer Tiberias Israel • Weatherbury Farm

Wild Emmer in Tiberias, Israel. About 5 miles from Kinneret, the location of the Ohalo II archeological dig.

Wild emmer has been carbon dated back to 17000BC at Ohalo II (an archaeological site on the sea of Galilee in Israel). Emmer is one the “founder crops,” being one of the first cereals to be domesticated. Evidence that it was cultivated for over 7000 years was found near Damascus.

Emmer was important in ancient Egypt where it was used to make bread and beer. As bread and beer were the staples of life, growing emmer (as well as the barley used in beer making) was at the center of the entire agricultural economy of Egypt.

During the new kingdom (c. 1570- c. 1069 BC) it was also used to pay wages and taxes. Additionally, for Egyptians, emmer was part of religious ceremonies. Representations of growing, harvesting and baking with emmer can be seen in Egyptian temples and tombs.

Emmer is thought to be the wheat of the bible. In Hebrew, the word for emmer and spelt is the same; however, spelt was not grown in ancient Israel.

And later, Romans brought emmer home after invading Egypt in 47BC. Called the “Pharaoh’s Wheat” by Julius Caesar, emmer became the standard daily ration of the Roman legion.

Emmer Plowing The Temple of Horus at Edfu • Weatherbury Farm

Horus (right) oversees plowing. The Temple of Horus at Edfu, Egypt.

Emmer is the predecessor of Durum Wheat.

Today, wild emmer is still seen growing in the fertile crescent.

The use of emmer has recently enjoyed a resurgence. The emmer grain is also known as farro medio and in the US, considered the farro of choice. Farro medio is most often pearled. Currently, Nigel is working on the development of a pearling machine. The term “farro” comes from “Pharaoh’s Wheat.”

Emmer is one of the three ancient grains. (Weatherbury Farm also grows the other two, spelt and einkorn.)

History of Obsidian Black Winter Emmer

Emmer Agritechnica 2011 • Weatherbury Farm

Emmer at Agritechnica 2011

At Weatherbury Farm, we grow Obsidian Black Winter Emmer. The emmer is a variety that we got 12 seeds of at Agritechnica in Germany in 2011. We started bulking the seed in 2012, by planting increasingly larger test plots. By 2018 we had a 1/3 of an acre planted. That was a unfortunately a very wet year and we lost the whole crop.

In the fall of 2020, we planted a large plot to start bulking our seed back up again. On October 14, 2021 we planted .248ha/.613ac of the Obisdian Black Winter Emmer and harvested it on July 24 2022.

Emmer — the grain

Emmer (Triticum dicoccum) has survived for 17,000 years. It’s hard outer hull (that protects it from the weather and from insects in storage) has helped emmer last long in its desert areas of origin.

Wheat hulls are not removed during harvest. Emmer’s hulls are not.

Like Einkorn, the emmer hull is surrounded by tiny “hairs”. So, before the emmer can even be cleaned, the “hairs” must be removed by a debearder. After the emmer is debearded it is cleaned but the hull still needs to be removed before it can be milled. Luckily for Weatherbury Farm, Farmer Nigel has built a dehuller to do this job.

Emmer, like the other ancient wheats of einkorn and spelt does have gluten. The two parts of gluten — gliadin, which gives dough stretchiness and glutentin, which provides elasticity and structure are in balance in wheat. However, emmer has a high gliadin to glutentin ratio.

Some people who have a wheat allergy or gluten sensitivity report that baked goods made from emmer flour is easier to digest. However, people with gluten allergies, gluten intolerance or celiac disease should not use it.