Hey everyone, it’s your boy back again with another one of my little experiments. Today, we’re diving into the world of rye bread seeds. Now, I’ve always been a fan of rye bread, there’s just something about that hearty, earthy flavor that gets me every time. So, I thought, why not try growing my own rye and see what happens?
First things first, I needed some seeds. I looked around online and found a bunch of options, ranging from a few bucks to almost 70! In the end, I grabbed a small bag of organic winter rye seeds from some seed company. I think it was like, eight or nine bucks. Not too shabby. It is way cheaper than the bag labeled No-Till Winter Rye Seeds, which costs me 70 bucks.
Next up, figuring out where to plant these bad boys. I don’t have a huge farm or anything, just a regular backyard, so I cleared out a little patch of dirt and got to work. From what I read, rye is pretty tough stuff. It grows in places where the soil isn’t great, and it doesn’t need perfect conditions. Plus, they say it’s good for the soil, which is a bonus.
I sprinkled the seeds over the patch, trying to spread them out evenly. I saw online that you can use a lot, like 60 to 200 pounds per acre. Well, I didn’t have an acre, and I definitely didn’t have that many seeds. I just used my best judgment and hoped for the best. After that, I covered them with a thin layer of soil and gave them a good watering.
Now comes the waiting game. Apparently, rye takes its sweet time to grow, about 120 to 150 days. I made sure to water the patch regularly, especially when it was dry out. It is said that winter rye can withstand frosts down to -35 �С. I don’t need to worry about it at all.
Oh, and one cool thing I learned is that rye is used for more than just bread. People use it for whiskey and beer, too! Who knew? I might have to try making my own rye whiskey sometime, haha. But for now, I’m focused on the bread.
During this period, I also searched some recipes and found that some guys like to add caraway seeds to the bread. Some like to use a Five-Seed Baking Blend which is a mixture of caraway, sesame, poppy, flax, and fennel seeds. I think I will try the caraway seeds since it is more traditional.
Anyway, it’s been a few months now, and my rye is finally ready! It’s grown pretty tall, and the grains are looking nice and plump. I harvested the rye, which was a bit of a workout, let me tell you. I collected the seeds and ground them into flour. I mixed some caraway seeds with the flour, and made myself a fresh loaf of homemade rye bread.
The taste? Absolutely amazing. It was way better than any store-bought rye I’ve ever had. There’s just something special about eating something you’ve grown yourself, you know? I was so excited that I’ve decided to plant more rye next season, maybe even try that whiskey idea. Stay tuned for more adventures in my little backyard farm!
