I recently had the good fortune to visit WSU’s Mount Vernon Research Center, a jewel-box of a facility tucked away in the Skagit Valley. While there for briefings on the farm bill, I had the opportunity to meet first with Professor Stephen Jones, a plant geneticist and wheat breeder who is the Center director. A key area of focus at the Center is on small-scale wheat grown regionally. It hosts a Bread Lab, which bakes bread on site twice weekly, using wheat grown minutes away. I learned that terroir is as important a source of flavor for breads as it is for wines. Who knew? The Lab works with regional farmers, millers and bakers to provide a rich variety of flavorful, unusual wheats. It has its converts—including the Essential Baking Company in Seattle, which now sources wheat from strains developed by Dr. Jones. Michelle Obama has even embraced local wheat. She recently planted two wheat varietals from the Pacific Northwest in the White House Kitchen Garden. For more on the emergence of regional, small-scale wheat production, see the October 2012 edition of Sunset, which highlights work being done at the Bread Lab in Mount Vernon.
If you travel to the Center, take time to view the gorgeous display beds ringing the facility. Lush and verdant, the multiple gardens are maintained by Skagit County Master Gardeners, who volunteer their time to keep the site looking gorgeous.