The producer:
Jason Cotter, Tuerong Farm, Tuerong, VIC

“There’s an international movement whereby grain is being treated much in the same way as a single-origin coffee, or a wine – as an expression of the place that it’s grown and the variety that’s being grown,” says Jason Cotter of Tuerong Farm on the Mornington Peninsula.

Here, Cotter grows sustainably, with minimal inputs, producing Australian hard-white wheats (including the featured Kittyhawk), French red wheats and a handful of ancient grains, all while bulking up around 200 varieties of heritage wheat from the 19th and 20th centuries. Why? “Because the genetic diversity of wheat has narrowed significantly in the last 40 years,” says Cotter. “Earlier wheats offer different protein profiles, and with that comes different flavours, better ease of digestion, potentially better nutrition.

“We’re not chasing yield and harvestability; what we’re chasing is a flavourful product that’s nutritious and offers a true expression of the place it has been grown and the variety of grain that we’re growing.”

Quality and care factor come to the fore
“In this age of mass-produced, chemical-laden ‘bread’, people like Jason Cotter of Tuerong Farm are so important,” says delicious. Harvey Norman Produce Awards Victoria state judge Dave Verheul. “They’re the ones who are putting in the immense effort to grow wheat that has not been sprayed with fungicides or insecticides, that wasn’t milled over a year ago, and that may actually taste of something.

“We are using Jason’s flour because this incredible product very much sits alongside what we do here at Embla and Lesa – we want produce that’s connected to our region and produced in a way that takes into account sustainability, biodiversity and our health.”

See here for the Tuerong Farm sourdough flatbreads, cod roe and dill recipe.