Heirloom wheat and Jim Lahey
Jim Lahey of the Sullivan Bakery cracked me up recently when I read his comment: "You could give me dog-sh*t wheat and I would still make it taste great!" This was to a group supporting heirloom wheat production - and Jim really supports the group for a variety of reasons. But evidently, he thinks other things have a larger impact on taste than the variety of wheat. He even proved his point in a tasting by the group. Read more here: http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/01/is-heirloom-wheat-the-next-big-baking-trend-jim-lahey.html [1]
But, I read that after I ordered some Red Fife whole grain bread flour at a heafty price. I started out looking for locally grown grain to produce a sourdough starter with local wild yeasts. That led me to Anson Mills, mentioned in various places here on TFL. So...I'll make a starter out of some and blend the rest with my King Arhur whole wheat flour for my breads.
What's your experience with heirloom wheats?