Wait, what? Wheat?

When most people think of America’s wheat fields, they picture those amber waves of grain in the midwest.

Turns out, the birthplace of American wheat was in Natural North Florida, where it is still grown at Barnhart’s wheat farm in Monticello.

Monticello historians David Ward and Jack Carswell discovered that the first wheat ever planted in the country was in Monticello, but it’s been 50 years since anyone has attempted it here until the Barnhart family began planting organic triticale in November 2010.

The triticale – a cross of wheat and rye – is a certified organic variety from Utah that’s low maintenance and hardy. It also has 16 percent protein, making it a nutritious variety. The Barnharts harvested 18,000 pounds in June.

Barnhart Farms also grows organic veggies, even squash blossoms, which you can buy at Tallahassee’s Lake Ella farmer’s market on Wednesdays and in Port St. Joe on Saturdays.