We’re hitting retail shelves with a new product…or…ummm…several new products!
Starting in June 2021, you’ll see these packages filled with either Black Lentils or Pinto Beans. By the end of the summer, there will be two different grains or pulses adorning the shelves. Cornmeal? Blackbeans? Yellow Peas? Flax? Chickpeas? Navy Beans? French Green Lentils? Manitoba grows it all, and we’re excited to be able to offer a sample of the best the province has to offer.
So why does the stuff inside these packages keep changing?
Because farming is never the same one moment to the next!
Each season brings surprises, and crops that thrive one summer might not grow well the following year. Farmers are continually testing new rotations, adapting and experimenting in order to build robust food systems for a changing and uncertain world.
If we, as consumers, can adapt and change our eating habits in harmony with the farms around us, to match the needs of the land, we can reduce unnecessary food waste, minimize food miles, and shrink our ecological footprint. Estimates suggest that over 30% of all food grown worldwide is never eaten. 10% of this is food that never even makes it off the farm. Our project leverages small scale processing (our oat mill is TINY in comparison to normal grain mills…most of our equipment is considered lab-scale!) to ensure that local farmers have a market for even the smallest of their harvests.
Eating what’s locally abundant might not be predictable, but it’s good for the earth, good for our communities, and downright tasty too! That’s why we’re committed to small batch milling to reduce on-farm food loss, and to working with local organic farmers to mill crops that might otherwise be overlooked.
Thanks for joining our local eating adventure!
Follow the QR code on the back of each package (or navigate to the sub-categories on the “Manitoba Rotations” menu) to learn more about each farm that our rotations are coming from!
