Between Donaueschingen and Tuttlingen, idyllically situated at the foot of Wartenberg Mountain, lies Stadtmühle Geisingen. Nestled in the rugged Baar region, the major spelt-growing area of Southern Germany before World War II, we made spelt fashionable again 40 years ago.
The poor soil and climate here are ideal for spelt cultivation – however, during the war it was displaced by wheat due to lower yields. Wheat was transformed to achieve maximum yields through breeding, chemical fertilization, and stem shortening.
Due to its health benefits and purity as an uncrossed grain, spelt is valued once again. Its advantages are obvious... through the long stem, the weeds growing alongside receive little light and wither; the use of pesticides is therefore unnecessary. And by maturing in the husk, the grain is protected from environmental influences, such as acid rain and even radioactive fallout. After the Chernobyl disaster, spelt was 10 times less contaminated with radioactivity than wheat.
No wonder, then, that Hildegard of Bingen speaks of the "best grain."