Apr
A taste of the Anthropocene: baking with novel perennial grains
Perennial grains hold potential to transform the entire food system. In Sweden, researchers, farmers and bakers are experimenting with Kernza, a perennial wheat grass. In this workshop, farmer and baker Erik Remvig will talk about his experiences of milling and baking with Kernza to make a variety of different breads, sharing tips and tricks for optimising taste and texture.
Researchers from LUCSUS will highlight their work to implement Kernza in Europe as a means of transforming the agricultural system to more sustainable practices.
Kernza is not approved for sale yet in the EU but has been used for decades in the USA, as an ingredient in breads, pasta, cereals and beers. It is a perennial grain that is good for both the climate and the environment as it can store carbon, protect soil and water, and need little herbicides. Kernza grows back year after year and does not require ploughing or annual resowing in contrast to conventional agricultural crops such as wheat and corn. This “annualness” is a root cause of the environmental problems of today’s modern agriculture.
About the workshop
During the workshop, we will serve breads made with Kernza and invite the audience to participate in a research survey to give feedback on taste and texture. We will also give away samples of Kernza flour so that participants can try their hands at baking with new perennial grains.
The event will conclude with a Q&A where the audience can ask all their baking related questions, find out more about challenges and opportunities for growing Kernza in Sweden, and learn about the future for perennial grains globally.
Participants:
- Erik Remvig, Värpinge Gård och Gårdsbageri – farmer and baker with many years’ experiences of ecological production and baking of heritage grains.
- Lennart Olsson, Professor of Geography at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies – he leads Sweden’s largest research project to test and implement novel perennial crops in agricultural systems
- AnnSofie Micallef-Nilsson,research assistant at Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies who works on several projects, including PERENNIAL. She routinely works with Kernza, analysing its use in baking and brewing.
The event is organised by LUCSUS (Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies) as part of Sustainability Week. Running between 13 – 18 April, Sustainability week is an annual event in Lund organised as a joint venture by Lund University and Lund municipality. The week serves as a platform for bringing together ideas, cross-disciplinary collaborations, raising public awareness and for inspiring sustainable change.
See the full programme at the Sustainability Week webpage | hallbarhetsveckan.event.lu.se
About the event
Location:
Hörsalen at Pufendorf institute, Biskopsgatan 3, Lund
Contact:
stefan [dot] schuller [at] LUCSUS [dot] lu [dot] se