Wheat, Purple Straw
Product Description: (Triticum aestivum) Named for the blushed appearance of its stalk upon maturity, Purple Straw was one of the very first pastry wheats ever grown in the United States and it was used in some of the earliest iterations of the classic southern biscuit.
This wheat first emerged from the Virginia Piedmont region during the era of the American Revolution. Despite a modest yield, its adoption among Mid-Atlantic and Southern grain growers was both wide-reaching and remarkably swift. In the words of food historian David Shields, this period of turmoil was a major catalyst for the rise of Purple Straw, “[setting] in motion a number of developments that would cause the eclipse of the old settler wheats of the colonial era”.
Devastating seed shortages were the first of these developments, soon followed by the introduction of the Hessian Fly, which some believe to have hitched a ride in the straw bedding of the Hessian mercenaries fighting for England. From that moment on, the fly inflicted immense damage on grain crops as it migrated through the newly united colonies each year.
This heritage grain helped to keep the United States fed while this country was still fighting to establish its very existence. While still widely grown up until the 20th century, it too was eventually replaced by newcomers and was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2015.
We may be the first to begin selling these seeds since Purple Straw’s disappearance, but we are not the ones who deserve the credit for its return. For that, you can thank David Shields (Carolina Gold Rice Foundation), Glenn Roberts (Anson Mills), and Rick Boyles (Clemson University) for their dedication and tireless work that made this possible.
Open-pollinated. Soft red winter type. 50 seeds per packet.Very limited supply.
Growing Information: Direct sow in the fall (or as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring), as this wheat requires cold weather to properly vernalize. Sow seeds 1 cm (1/2”) deep with 10 cm (4”) spacing in rows 15 cm (6”) apart. When the plants are nearing ankle height, re-sow any patches with thin germination.
Harvest once the stalks have dried down thoroughly and the grains can no longer be dented with your fingernail. If necessary, cut the stalks at the base and tie them into bundles to finish drying indoors. Once ready, separate the grain and stalks with a thresher or by hand, then winnow the isolated grain to remove any remaining chaff. Fall planted. Early maturing.
Seed Saving: Saving grain seeds is incredibly simple in the sense that your final product is the seed! Once dried thoroughly, no additional effort is required. Simply store the seeds in a cool, dry location until you are ready to plant again.
Germination Rate: 99%
Product Description: (Triticum aestivum) Named for the blushed appearance of its stalk upon maturity, Purple Straw was one of the very first pastry wheats ever grown in the United States and it was used in some of the earliest iterations of the classic southern biscuit.
This wheat first emerged from the Virginia Piedmont region during the era of the American Revolution. Despite a modest yield, its adoption among Mid-Atlantic and Southern grain growers was both wide-reaching and remarkably swift. In the words of food historian David Shields, this period of turmoil was a major catalyst for the rise of Purple Straw, “[setting] in motion a number of developments that would cause the eclipse of the old settler wheats of the colonial era”.
Devastating seed shortages were the first of these developments, soon followed by the introduction of the Hessian Fly, which some believe to have hitched a ride in the straw bedding of the Hessian mercenaries fighting for England. From that moment on, the fly inflicted immense damage on grain crops as it migrated through the newly united colonies each year.
This heritage grain helped to keep the United States fed while this country was still fighting to establish its very existence. While still widely grown up until the 20th century, it too was eventually replaced by newcomers and was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2015.
We may be the first to begin selling these seeds since Purple Straw’s disappearance, but we are not the ones who deserve the credit for its return. For that, you can thank David Shields (Carolina Gold Rice Foundation), Glenn Roberts (Anson Mills), and Rick Boyles (Clemson University) for their dedication and tireless work that made this possible.
Open-pollinated. Soft red winter type. 50 seeds per packet.Very limited supply.
Growing Information: Direct sow in the fall (or as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring), as this wheat requires cold weather to properly vernalize. Sow seeds 1 cm (1/2”) deep with 10 cm (4”) spacing in rows 15 cm (6”) apart. When the plants are nearing ankle height, re-sow any patches with thin germination.
Harvest once the stalks have dried down thoroughly and the grains can no longer be dented with your fingernail. If necessary, cut the stalks at the base and tie them into bundles to finish drying indoors. Once ready, separate the grain and stalks with a thresher or by hand, then winnow the isolated grain to remove any remaining chaff. Fall planted. Early maturing.
Seed Saving: Saving grain seeds is incredibly simple in the sense that your final product is the seed! Once dried thoroughly, no additional effort is required. Simply store the seeds in a cool, dry location until you are ready to plant again.
Germination Rate: 99%
Product Description: (Triticum aestivum) Named for the blushed appearance of its stalk upon maturity, Purple Straw was one of the very first pastry wheats ever grown in the United States and it was used in some of the earliest iterations of the classic southern biscuit.
This wheat first emerged from the Virginia Piedmont region during the era of the American Revolution. Despite a modest yield, its adoption among Mid-Atlantic and Southern grain growers was both wide-reaching and remarkably swift. In the words of food historian David Shields, this period of turmoil was a major catalyst for the rise of Purple Straw, “[setting] in motion a number of developments that would cause the eclipse of the old settler wheats of the colonial era”.
Devastating seed shortages were the first of these developments, soon followed by the introduction of the Hessian Fly, which some believe to have hitched a ride in the straw bedding of the Hessian mercenaries fighting for England. From that moment on, the fly inflicted immense damage on grain crops as it migrated through the newly united colonies each year.
This heritage grain helped to keep the United States fed while this country was still fighting to establish its very existence. While still widely grown up until the 20th century, it too was eventually replaced by newcomers and was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery in 2015.
We may be the first to begin selling these seeds since Purple Straw’s disappearance, but we are not the ones who deserve the credit for its return. For that, you can thank David Shields (Carolina Gold Rice Foundation), Glenn Roberts (Anson Mills), and Rick Boyles (Clemson University) for their dedication and tireless work that made this possible.
Open-pollinated. Soft red winter type. 50 seeds per packet.Very limited supply.
Growing Information: Direct sow in the fall (or as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring), as this wheat requires cold weather to properly vernalize. Sow seeds 1 cm (1/2”) deep with 10 cm (4”) spacing in rows 15 cm (6”) apart. When the plants are nearing ankle height, re-sow any patches with thin germination.
Harvest once the stalks have dried down thoroughly and the grains can no longer be dented with your fingernail. If necessary, cut the stalks at the base and tie them into bundles to finish drying indoors. Once ready, separate the grain and stalks with a thresher or by hand, then winnow the isolated grain to remove any remaining chaff. Fall planted. Early maturing.
Seed Saving: Saving grain seeds is incredibly simple in the sense that your final product is the seed! Once dried thoroughly, no additional effort is required. Simply store the seeds in a cool, dry location until you are ready to plant again.
Germination Rate: 99%
