In this Issue
Upcoming Market Dates
Home Bakers Meet-up Recap
Women's History Month
Featured Grain- Einkorn

Upcoming Market Dates
Come find locally grown grains at the following locations!


Grainstand Weekly Markets
every  Wednesday & Saturday.
Grainstand Pop-up Markets

  • March 23: Fort Greene, Brooklyn
  • March 24: 79th St., Manhattan
  • March 30: McCarren Park, Brooklyn

  • April 6: Inwood, Manhattan
  • April 13: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
  • April 21: Jackson Heights, Queens
  • April 27: Fort Greene, Brooklyn
  • April 28: 79th St., Manhattan
  • May 4: Inwood, Manhattan
  • May 11: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
  • May 19: Jackson Heights, Queens
  • May 25: Fort Greene, Brooklyn
  • May 26: 79th St., Manhattan

  • June 1: Inwood, Manhattan
  • June 8: Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn
  • June 16: Jackson Heights, Queens
  • June 22: Fort Greene, Brooklyn
  • June 23: 79th St., Manhattan
  • June 29: McCarren Park, Brooklyn
  • June 30: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
The Grainstand and Guests pop-up schedule is now available for April through June!

Pre-ordered bulk bags are available at the Union Square Greenmarket every Wednesday and Saturday, or at any of our pop-up location upon request. Check availability and pricing here

Wholesale orders of $250 or more can be delivered through Greenmarket Co. , GrowNYC's wholesale distribution program. 

For more information or to place an order, email us at grains@grownyc.org.
Home Bakers Meet-up 2019
This month, our devoted community of home bakers dazzled us with their brilliant g(b)rains. Over fifty home bakers, some of our favorite partners, and Greenmarket bakers came together at Project Farmhouse to talk technique, favorite heritage grains, and how to get a really crusty crust.

Our favorite night of the year was filled with creativity, ingenuity, and endless delicious snacks. From Lost Bread Co. 's emmer shortbread, to Runner & Stone's cracked rye and honey loaf, and all the magog baguettes and seeded rye breads in between, it certainly was a night to remember.

Alex of Lost Bread Co . explained the importance of the home baker community and how a lot of the crucial work being done to restore the presence of regional wheat varieties is being done in kitchens all around the city, by patient and sharp home bakers. Amber Lambke of Maine Grains brought us full circle, explaining that not only do local grains taste great, they are help create a more secure future for food in our region, in soil health and overall resiliency.

We want to thank all of our incredible sponsors for a wonderful night!

Over 50 home bakers attended, sharing their creations with and enthusiasm for local grains. And, we raised $6k for GrowNYC Grains! As a non-profit dependent on charitable donations and fundraisers, we're thrilled.
Featured Women in the Field
In honor of Women's History Month, we would like to recognize some of the incredible champions, pioneers, and leading baker/scientist/geniuses that have inspired us.
Karen Hess
Karen Hess was not only one of the earliest American culinary historians, she was also one of the earliest whistle-blowers of what she would have called the "wretched" industrialization of bread: "That golden fragrant flour of yesteryear was transformed-- almost overnight-- into chalky lifeless dust" (KH 1994). In her book, Taste of America (1977) Hess distinguished herself as someone who simply would not stand for the state of food as it was, and she was not afraid to speak up against the atrocities of the widely accepted American food industry. To this day we read her words for inspiration and remember her impact.

"It all starts with a choice of grain, which is first a question of place and time..." KH 1994. A Century of Change in the American Loaf.

Eli Rogosa
Eli Rogosa has been a pioneer of ancient grains (einkorn specifically) since taking a trip to the Fertile Crescent. While working with farmers, Rogosa observed heritage varieties of wheat being grown without any chemical intervention, and was moved to found The Heritage Grain Conservancy . The conservancy works to preserve landacre varieties of wheat, ensure future generations will have access to nutritious grains, and educate people on cooking and baking with those heritage varieties.
Sarah Owens
Based in Rockaway Beach, Sarah Owens is an author, baker, gardener, instructor, and champion of the health benefits and overall magic properties of sourdough and local grains. Owens authored the James Beard Award Winning book Sourdough , which she calls a " sensory journey through my garden and into the kitchen". Owens runs a small mail-order and wholesale production kitchen called Ritual Fine Foods , and teaches courses in sourdough baking, inspiring a new generation of home-bakers.
Featured grain: Einkorn!
Einkorn belongs in the family of ancient grains, along with emmer and spelt, and is the oldest of the three. Einkorn is recognized as one of first forms of wheat ever cultivated by humans. Because it has never been hybridized, the grain we now have access to is just as pure as it was tens of thousands of years ago, making it inherently more nutritious than modern varieties.

Characterized by a small, dense grain with a tight hull that needs one extra step to be separated, einkorn is also known as farro piccolo . Typically, the ancient grains (einkorn in particular) are lower in gluten and higher in more complex protein structures. This means that for baking purposes, einkorn is slow to absorb moisture and may take some extra care and extra kneading. But don't shy away! Einkorn, although very 'kneady,' has a superb flavor with notes of honey and walnut.

We recommend starting out adding 20-30% to a reliable bread flour. Although it's also great for experimenting in all-purpose baking, it has been known to develop more even flavor days after it's baked!
Recipe of the month: Overnight Einkorn Coffee Cake
For the Cake
2½ cups all-purpose einkorn flour, plus more for dusting
2 tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
10 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature (save the wrappers)
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 large eggs
½ tsp vanilla
1 cup kefir

For the Crumb Topping
3/4 cup all-purpose einkorn flour
¼ cup granulated sugar
¼ tsp salt
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cold and cut into ¼" cubes
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp cocoa powder
powdered sugar, for dusting

  1. Make the Cake. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.
  2. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter on medium-low speed for 2-3 minutes. Add the sugars and mix on medium-low for 1-2 minutes, until the batter is fluffy and whipped. Add the eggs and vanilla and mix on medium-low until just combined, scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl. Detach the bowl from the mixer.
  3. Use a spatula to fold half of the flour mixture into the egg mixture. Fold in ½ cup of the kefir, then repeat with the remaining flour mixture and kefir until everything is just combined. (Do not overwork the batter.)
  4. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator all night, or up to 8 hours.
  5. When you are ready to bake, use the butter wrappers to butter and flour a 9x13 baking dish. Preheat the oven to 350F.
  6. Remove the batter from the refrigerator and spread it out into the prepared dish. Set aside.
  7. Make the Topping. Mix together the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Cut the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers or a pastry blender until the butter is completely incorporated into the flour in small chunks. The topping can be made at night and stored in the refrigerator with the cake batter.
  8. Sprinkle half of the mixture on top of the cake.
  9. In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and cocoa powder and sprinkle evenly over the topping.
  10. Sprinkle the remaining topping over the cinnamon and cocoa. Bake for 42 minutes until the middle springs back when pressed with your finger.
  11. Let the cake sit in the pan for 1 hour until completely cooled. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.
GrowNYC's Annual Report
It's here! You can now read a digital copy of GrowNYC's 2018 Annual Report online.

We're proud to share what we accomplished in 2018.

Please take a few moments to explore how GrowNYC is helping New Yorkers live healthier and more sustainable lives
Host Your Event at Project Farmhouse
Project Farmhouse , GrowNYC’s sustainability center and events space, is available for rent.
 
Not only is the space gorgeous--with a projection wall and sound system (karaoke anyone?), a demo kitchen (as well as a separate catering kitchen), hydroponic living wall, and more--your rental fee will support public programming focused on the good food movement.

Encompassing 3,500 square feet, Project Farmhouse can host 240 people for a cocktail party or 100 people for a sit-down affair.
 
Click here  to book Project Farmhouse.
Donate to GrowNYC
GrowNYC is a 501(c)3 environmental nonprofit organization. Donate Today to support GrowNYC Grains, neighborhood Greenmarkets, community gardens, recycling and hands-on education programs for youth.  
GrowNYC/Greenmarket | 212-788-7900 | www.grownyc.org