Revitalizing grain
To offer an experience in how to revitalize and cultivate various grains a hedge of winter rye was planted in front of the residential buildings in Lundo (Comano Terme, Trentino) in autumn 2023. Winter rye is the most common variety in Central Europe. It is sown in September or October and harvested in July or August of the following year. The slender golden ears of rye usually grow 1m to 1.5m high.
The growing grain gives a beautiful sphere of light into its surroundings.
Various grains are also grown in a small field in Naone, so that visitors can get to know them better and build up a relationship and appreciation, through the experience of the different phases of growth, as well as through sowing and harvesting.
The pictures show wheat, barley, oats, millet, rye and buckwheat:
In Naone, as part of the study program at the Sun oasis University (a university for freely forming spirituality) a small amount of winter rye was processed by hand. The ear of the grain was cut from the stalk with scissors and collected in sacks for storage and drying.
The ear of the rye plant is square and quite long. A visual difference to wheat, for example, is that the ear has awns
and, interestingly, an awn of the same length grows from each grain.
The photo on the right offers a comparison between the ears of rye in the sack and ears of wheat in the bowl.
As a result of the work, participants felt a noticeable appreciation and relationship with the grain.