Why we should care about heirloom grains and Anson Mills
Anson Mills specializes in handmade mill goods from organic heirloom grains. The first time I heard of Anson Mills was on a menu that mentioned their Carolina Gold Rice, although it wasn’t until the Mind of a Chef episode starring Chef Sean Brock that I understood how special this company is.
Glen Roberts, the founder, is an avid food historian motivated to preserve heritage and quality grains. Glen has instilled his passion in his company which values and engages in seed saving, which is the process of storage and reproduction of heirloom grains that are in low supply and have the potential to go extinct. They take immense pride in each of their products, especially their famous Carolina Gold Rice.
“In some ways, we hope to restart the Carolina Rice Kitchen cuisine itself — a cuisine that depends on a complex agricultural system suited to local conditions and cultural needs. It is an effort that requires extraordinary research into planting practices, seedsmanship, and preparation.”
If you watch the Mind of a Chef episode, you can observe their old school harvesting production process. They aren’t just saying handmade…they mean it! First, each grain variety has been hand-selected for quality and preservation. Their farming system is based upon sustainable rice horticulture, and follow the sustainable rice-crop rotation. Their harvesting process includes chopping each stalk by hand. “Glenn himself farms 160 acres by hand — and that acreage grows every year.”
Their product line ranges from corn, rice, wheat, rye, oats, buckwheat, faro, benne, and beans. On their website, each product is introduced with the history and special flavor profile. There are numerous recipes that correspond to each product and they encourage you to use them, not because they think you can’t cook, but because they are special products. “We’ve spent hundreds of hours developing the recipes we offer on this website. These recipes follow the stream of authentic foodways and work beautifully with our products.”
The care and precision for each grain is felt in the natural, simple packaging that each product is wrapped in. Simple, little brown bags hold each variety of Anson Mills grain. It is like receiving an old school package through the post, ensuing the authenticity of each product. When you open each bag, the product shines against the natural brown exterior…you can tell it is all about the quality of the product even before cooking it. Then you cook it, and instantly understand the beauty of Anson Mills.
Check them out here
Callie Cavanaugh is an IXDMA graduate student at CU Boulder and lead designer at Radici Design, a design studio that builds artisan brands.
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