Do the words farro or emmer ring a bell? They’re two names for a locally-grown ancient grain that’ll be hitting food pantry shelves this summer.
The Food Bank of Wyoming will distribute 3,000 pounds of the grain, most commonly known as farro, through its partners across the state starting in July. That’s thanks to a donation from the University of Wyoming’s (UW) Neolithic Brand Wyoming First Grains initiative, which grows and experiments with the 12,000 year-old food outside of Powell.
“ They're a really hearty grain, so when you cook it, they’re still going to be a little chewy and have the husk on it,” said Food Bank Executive Director Danica Sveda. “They're really nutritious and delicious.”
Sveda said the donation opens up the door for more people around the state to have more exposure to a food that can thrive in Wyoming’s growing conditions.
“The fact that it gets to stay here in the state and nourish our neighbors, we're really excited about that,” she said.
The Food Bank is also partnering with the Cent$ible Nutrition Program to help people get more familiar with the ingredient. That’s the state’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) education arm, which is funded by two U.S. Department of Agriculture grants and helps people who are eligible for SNAP use their food resources more efficiently and effectively.
Kali McCrackin Goodenough is Cent$ible’s marketing specialist and program manager.
“ You cook [emmer] like you do with rice, so you boil it in water or broth,” she said. “It has a really springy texture and a really nutty flavor when it's done.”
Each one-pound bag comes with basic cooking instructions as well as a link to a webpage with different recipes, including a breakfast bowl, a bean skillet and a hearty summer salad dish.
“Because it is a whole grain, it provides that really great boost of nutrients that can fit in at any point in the day for your meals,” said McCrackin Goodenough.
The program will also have preparation demonstrations and share samples of the food at food pantry partners around Wyoming. McCrackin Goodenough said making the cooking process simple and easy is the program’s overarching goal.
“Our team really tries to meet partners and patrons where they're at and really help people look at what's in their cupboards, look at what's on pantry shelves and be able to pull those into a full meal that's satisfying and enjoyable without causing a lot of stress,” she said.
Figure out where to find farro this summer using the directory of Food Bank of Wyoming partner pantries across the state.
