How Artisan Grains Helped Skagit County Rebuild Its Economy
by Jason Dove Mark
Compared to the high plains of Kansas or the rolling fields of eastern Montana, Skagit County, Washington, is something of a backwater when it comes to wheat production. Yet over the past 15 years, the Skagit Valley has emerged as a national hot spot for innovations in grain breeding, artisan-scale milling, and experimental baking.
This broad alluvial plain, graced by the chiseled peaks of the North Cascades to the east and the forested humps of the San Juan Islands to the west, is home to the Breadlab, which develops highly nutritious, climate-adapted varieties of wheat, rye, and other grains. One of the nation’s two King Arthur Baking Schools shares space with the lab. Cairnspring Mills, a favored flour purveyor for bakeries across the Pacific Northwest, is around the corner, and at the nearby Breadfarm bakery, the line of people waiting for baguettes, cookies, and massive miche loaves on summer weekends stretches around the side of building.
